


Fallen Grace, Unwavering Will

by PsychicBeagle



Series: Unraveling Threads [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Backstory Expansion, Cowboy and Ballarina, Forgone Conclusion, sad stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-24
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-07-26 09:04:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7568269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PsychicBeagle/pseuds/PsychicBeagle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Once, six Souls were harvested, locked in glass. Upon release, they formed the base of a replacement Soul. Even in this state, as a portion of another, their old wounds remain. What happened to leave them in such a state?</p><p>What left their relics scattered about the Underground?</p><p>What dust is left in their wake?</p><p>This is a tale of Blue and Yellow. Of Sin and Justice. Of the Mad and the Forgotten.</p><p>Side story to Spirits Bound. Works as a standalone, but it will spoil SB's ending.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Shadows of the Past

"Um, Frisk?" They looked up at me, chewing away without a care at their donut. "There's a little something on your cheek." They wiped it away, glancing down at their sleeve to see half of a spider's leg.

 

"Oh dear, it seems someone didn't mix the batter well enough." Muffet was almost omnipresent in her bakery, moving swiftly and silently at the slightest disturbance. Her skin's violet hue seemed everywhere and nowhere, blending in with the rest of the room's color scheme. "I do hope it's no bother."

 

They just shrugged, seeing nothing wrong with popping it in their mouth like a stray chocolate chip. Muffet was pleased, but I wasn't. I didn't think I would ever be able to stomach the original spider bakery recipes. I'd stick with the vegetarian menu.

 

"How is your cider, my liege?" I was thankful for my thick, white fur, which helped hide my blush.

 

"It's good, miss. And please, just Asriel is fine. Really." She did a proper curtsey, gliding back into her establishment like the picture on one of those magic eye puzzles.

 

_'You really don't like the royal treatment anymore, do you?'_ As always, they were the one person who could read me perfectly, even after all these years.

 

_'It used to just roll over me, but then, well...'_

 

_'Years of being Flowey kind of messed with the idea of being on a throne.'_ I gulped. They mellowed out, but it didn't stop them from being so blunt about things. It made getting to the point easy, but left more than a few ripples. I could feel the memories flowing, hacking away at my self image.

 

_'Please don't use that name, Chara. The wound's kind of fresh.'_ I felt the shift in their Determination, trying to wipe away my guilt. It still hurt, but having someone so understanding with me helped.

 

_'Sorry, bro. Kind of hard to watch your mouth when you don't have one.'_ I reached back inwards, wrapping my being around them in the closest thing to a hug we could do anymore.

 

"Az?" Frisk's quiet, worried voice brought me back to the outside. It was way too easy to get lost in myself anymore. I hadn't even noticed the tears building up. I was lucky that everyone was polite enough to not stare, and to have someone like my new sibling to keep me anchored. They helped hold me steady, even if their arms weren't quite working yet. Muffet had to put the donut in their hand for them.

 

"Sorry, just thinking about junk. It's no biggie." They knew it was a bluff, but didn't prod too much. We had both seen enough serious for a long time. I glanced up at the clock. "I think we should get going. Mom and Dad would worry if you were out past dark." They nodded, finishing off their pastry.

 

Wiping the last few drops of the cider from my upper lip, I got to my feet, hurrying around behind Frisk. I took hold of the familiar handles on the back of their chair, ready to push them the whole way home. It wasn't as tiring as you'd think, but I had to remember that I was physically different from other monsters.

 

Greater Dog was a big help, too, opening the doors for us while he did his job as royal bodyguard. I was thankful for having the big guy around, but that didn't mean I'd let him take over pushing duty. I still owed Frisk too much, so I was happy to help them get around while their body recovered.

 

We weren't two steps out the door when I felt something staring at us. Something big, otherworldly, and, from first hand experience, playful. Looming over us was the amorphous form of Endogeny, stretching out to nuzzle with its, uh... Okay, I wasn't exactly sure what its relation with Greater was, but they were still family, even after the True Lab. Frisk was over the moon to see it, smile threatening to split their face in two.

 

"Hold on, think I have some chisps here." They rummaged through the bag in their lap, looking for a treat as Endogeny's body vibrated with excitement. It was like clockwork. Frisk sees dog, Frisk plays with dog. I didn't mind, just glad to see them happy despite the injuries they got because I left them in the dust like a total...

 

Nope, stopping there. Frisk was alive, they didn't blame me, and they were insistant that I got that through my thick head.

 

I took the chance to take in Endogeny's melted, flowing body. I had to admit, I felt a weird closeness to the Amalgamates. We both went through some dark stuff thanks to the Determination Experiments, but were only alive because of them. We understood each other, even if the exact results varied a little.

 

Endogeny turned to me, the kinship not lost on it. Its tale wagged, a kind gleam passing its eyes. His golden armor gave me the impression of the deep strength and respect he had from...

 

Wait, it wasn't wearing armor. And it didn't have eyes. It was just a hole in the middle of its head, a slight trail of happiness froth dripping from its lower lip. I must've been getting tired, starting to see things. Maybe a quick nap wouldn't hurt. I had the big guy there to look out for me, his shining form standing head and shoulders over his already impressive little brother...

 

In the pit of my chest, my energies stirred. It started as a slight discomfort, but even as I leaned on Frisk's chair for support, I felt the DT in me starting to boil. My vision went blurry, and my grasp on the world slipped. I felt a sudden pressure on my front, whatever had been holding me up slipping away.

 

"Asriel!" The voice sounded far away. I gasped for air, grabbing at my chest. I focused inward, the vast dark of my being becoming clear. Deep down, in the nothing, I saw two lights, growing brighter and brighter. Yellow and purple. I felt myself drawn towards them, my pain forcing my sight to tunnel until they were all I could see. Yellow and Purple.

 

A white flash. My eyes were lit up by a string of lights, going too fast to piece together. I saw a few fleeting shapes. Buttercups, Mom, something red, a revolver...

 

Then I returned to black.

　

 

-

 

I was laying on something soft. My mouth was a little dry, and I was dizzy, but other than that I was pretty comfy. I was sure the confusion would pass soon. Maybe a few more minutes asleep would help...

 

_'Oh no you don't. Open those eyes or I'll do it for you!'_ My body jolted, control taken away just long enough to trigger my eyelids to slide open. It didn't exactly help my head feel better, but I was awake.

 

"Asriel!" My hand lifted a little from my bed, grabbed softly by a very tired looking Frisk. There were heavy bags under their eyes, and their movements were even slower than before. I remembered passing out on them, and shame hit me like a truck. I wanted to apologize, pulling myself up to hug them.

 

My head throbbed, everything turning a shade of purple or yellow. When I landed on my back, all exertion stopping, the pallette of the world went back to normal.

 

"D-don't move yet!" A yellow hand passed, tapping a moist cloth to my forehead. It took some of the sting away. "You might be awake, but your insides are still highly unstable." Alphys was a doctor, so I took her word as the cherry on top of the 'stay down' cake.

 

"Is he awake?" Dad's voice was soft, but still demanded attention. When I looked, his fur was all out of order. I could tell exactly where he had been twirling his beard, waiting for me. He was by me in moments, setting a hand over mine. "I heard you are bed ridden. That is fine, I can bring you tea myself. It is quite good at dealing with aches, you know."

 

"Asgore, please, give him some space!" Dad backed up a little, but kept his hand where it was. Hearing Mom being so stern with him was still really weird, and kind of sad, but I understood the wedge that was between them. At least they still seemed to get along, most of the time. She came in to fluff my head, but did so gently, and was out of my personal space before she could come off as a hypocrit. "How are you feeling?"

 

"I've been better, but I think I'll be fine if I don't move again." It wasn't exactly a long term solution, but it would work for a day or two at least. "What happened to me?" The haze in everyone's eyes said they didn't know, but Alphys brought our attention to her with a cough, professional looking folder in hand.

 

"I did some s-scans, and I th-think I found the p-p-problem." Her stutter always got worse when I was in her line of sight. She pulled a picture out of her folder, turning to show a ring of Souls. Four of them were dulled out, as asleep as they had been since I turned back into a flower. The other two, however, were active. They shined with their native strengths, one yellow and one purple. Those colors were too familiar.

 

"It seems the h-humans S-souls in you are waking up." Dad's hand tensed, and when I looked, his eyes had darkened. The Souls were still a mark on his consciounce, even this many years later.

 

"Cliff and Lily..." Mom still knew who each one was by name. They each avoided the subject when I was around, trying not to lay their old wounds on me.

 

"They're just l-like a human's Soul would be in their b-body, b-but their energies are all skewed." She put the folder away, seeing how it was affecting Mom and Dad. "Asriel, your eyes were t-twitching a lot while you were asleep. Did they sh-show you something in your d-dreams?" I tried thinking about those few pictures I saw before I blacked out, but they were an incoherant mess.

 

"I think so, but it's all a blur. Whatever it was went by too fast." Alphys closed her eyes, thinking it over. "Is there some way to slow the feed down? Alphys's eyes shot open, my suggestion sparking something in her brain.

 

"Of course, my VR device! If I could rework the wires to take a video from your mind, I could slow it down and let you see it in real time!" When it came to ideas, she was on top. "It'll take a bit of leg work, but I should have it ready by sundown if I go now."

 

"Of course, Alphys. Please, take whatever you need." Dad sounded kind of distant. Frisk was eyeing him, and I could almost see their heart throbbing, being unable to do anything from in their chair.

 

"Don't worry, I have everything I need in my lab. I'll be back soon!" She was gone, leaving us all alone with our thoughts. I glanced up at Dad, getting an idea of my own.

 

"Hey Dad, my throat's dry. I think I'd like that tea."

　

 

-

 

　

Keys ticked on Alphys's portable setup. We were the only two in the room, my eyes covered by a helmet.

 

"Are you ready? Once it starts, I don't think it would be safe to stop until the whole feed plays out." I nodded, my thirst and hunger taken care of. There wasn't much else to attend to in my stationary state. "Alright, I'll be inserting you into someone's head to make things smooth. Everything you see and hear will be through them. Just stay calm and take it all in. I'll be out here monitoring everything, so don't worry."

 

"I trust you. You know that, right?" I didn't get an answer, but the typing got even faster.

 

_'Hey, you sure you can take it?'_ Chara had been quiet all day. They woke me up, but that was it. They usually kept to themself, letting me live my life, but I thought the lack of anything happening would at least make them want a conversation.

 

_'I don't really have much choice. Why do you ask?'_

 

_'Whatever those guys showed you was from inside. Their memories. You might see some messed up stuff. We both know what happened to them.'_ Right, Dad... _'Besides, they might know some stuff that'd hit even closer, if you catch me. I mean, Frisk wasn't...'_ They went quiet on me again.

 

_'Chara?'_

 

_'...Nevermind. Just, I'll be open to talk when you wake up. Stay safe.'_ I was about to question them, but didn't get the chance.

 

"Here we go. Dive in five, four..."

 

More pieces of the helmet came down, inserting themselves in my ears and nose. My connection to my body got foggy, sucked away into my own mind. At that moment, I fell into a deep sleep, the memories of one of my Souls filling my dreams.

 


	2. An Aging Candle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We all weather our darkest moments, grasping at a candle, searching for the light at the end of our tunnel. Sometimes, it never comes. What happens when the candle burns away?

A sharp bang. The smell of smoke. The yellow center of my mark splitting open. It was unique, unlike anything else I had ever experienced. I knew I wasn't old enough for this kind of activity in most eyes, but it was fulfilling. I twirled the revolver in my hand, blowing away the trail of smoke.

 

"Nothing like an afternoon of target practice, eh Lily?" I lined up the barrel again and pulled the trigger. Another bang cut open another hole on the innermost ring of the practice board. I tipped my Stetson, satisfied by my performance.

 

"Says you, Barrel Head. I don't even have a gun to work with." Oh, right. There was just the one locked up in Dad's safe.

 

"Sorry, guess I got caught up in the moment." She looked off into the distance, staring into the shifting oranges and purples of a sunset. The only reason she agreed to let me drag her out here was the audition in the next town over. We were miles out of the way, under the shadow of a mountain, Ebott, I believe they called it, so no one caught the preteens shooting. We all have our hobbies, and this one was mine. Of course, I'd never turn it on someone at random, but no one else saw it that way. Only my ever dependable sister trusted me.

 

And she was over there, bored out of her mind for my sake. It wasn't exactly fair. As she wiped a few strands of her long, black hair out of her eyes, I had an idea.

 

"Come on over, I'll let you use mine." She turned her attention to me, eyes widening for a second. I could see a bit of excitement, but she squished it under that forced refined personality.

 

"I would not want to get my tutu dirty." That was a weak argument and she knew it. Guess I had to point it out.

 

"You've covered me shooting how many times, and I've never gotten a speck of gunpowder on me." Her expression started to fall. A little nudge would be enough. "It really helps with the frustration, trust me. Instant nerve defuse." That twinkle said I'd done it.

 

"Fine, you win, Cliff. But only one shot. I can't afford to let my hands become calloused." I passed the revolver over, sure that neither of us was touching the trigger. It was important to handle these things carefully.

 

"Those judge types frown on anything that isn't perfectly smooth, right?" As she got into positon, arms rising, head cocked just so, one eye shut, I ran a thumb over the rest of my fingers. They were about as rough as you'd think from a guy like me, blue jeans and tan, leather vest helping with the rugged look. "Guess they'd have a heart attack seeing my ugly mitts then." She chuckled.

 

"I say they all have rods in rather inconveniant places. I would not pay them mind if they were not between me and my adoring public." The trigger fell back, another round leaving the barrel. It struck home, two rings from a bull's eye. "That was for you, Mister Gulliver." She passed it back, but I gave her a worried look.

 

"Now your aim is good, but that motivation is kind of troubling." She huffed with that cocky grin of hers.

 

"You know me better than to think I would act on my agression. I have become adept at weathering irritation until a more proper time." A time that I've never seen come. At least until now. She looked like a little weight was off her shoulders, but there was more where that came from.

 

"Come on, you know even doing that in private can mess up a person's head. Just looking out for you is all." Her brow twitched down, her barely contained rage blasting open the proverbial lid.

 

"Well maybe you should look out for yourself! I don't need someone looking out for me anymore, look where it put Mother!" I flinched back, not expecting that kind of wrath from her. Lily saw those cards coming even less, melting under her own flame. I could see her eyes watering. "I... I'm so sorry, I don't..." I grabbed her in a hug.

 

"We both know you didn't see that bus." She sniffled.

 

"If I did, she wouldn't have had to..." She tried to wiggle away, but I clamped down harder.

 

"It's not your fault. You need to..."

 

"What about Dad, hm!? He would be better off if I had just kept my damn head straight!" He wasn't exactly in it anymore. Going into his room was like stepping into a bar. He was content to sit around and be sad, and I wouldn't blame him for a second. It hit us all. I cried. He cried, and kept crying. But Lily had just bottled it.

 

"You need to move on. Would Mom want you to let her hold you back? No. She'd want you to get back on that horse and show the world what you're..."

 

"I don't need your hollow speeches!" She shoved me away with a strength I didn't know she was capable of. While I stumbled, she got going. By the time I was back on the right foot, she was slipping into the tree line heading towards the mountain.

 

"Lily, hold up!" I hurriedly put my revolver back to the holster around my hip, putting everything I had into my speed.

 

I was stuck following the rustling of leaves and crunch of grass for miles. I wasn't exactly out of shape, my outdoors lifestyle keeping me fit, but Sis was something else. Her dance training boosted her stamina to the peak, making her a dang good runner. I kept up, but that was it.

 

I noticed the ground was starting to lift up, the run getting more and more arduous, and it wasn't going back down. I looked up, the tip of Ebott growing closer, and Lily was between me and it. What few glimpses I caught showed the tears in her eyes. She probably didn't know where she was going. I thought it was a good time to yell.

 

"Lily, we can talk this out!" She plucked a stick from the ground, throwing it back at me. I narrowly dodged it as she turned her head back to glare at me.

 

"Just leave me alone, Cliff, I don't need you pitying me like everyone el-!" The wind was knocked from her sails as she tripped, sharp dancing shoes fumbling over a stray plant. Her scream started loud, but faded, becoming more of an echo.

 

"SIS!" I doubled my pace, bringing myself over the next ridge. Staring back at me was nothing. A hole near the peak of the mountain. A gaping maw that swallowed Lily without remorse. "Lily, can you hear me!?" The only reply was my own reverberated voice.

 

She was gone. My sister, the only member of my family who was willing to stand again, taken from me. My emotions were in a whirlwind, battling each other for control of the gale. Sorrow nipped at its heels, a weaker force trying to overturn the whole. Shock stalled its progress, locking me in place. Regret clawed at its throat, the idea that I had driven her away, made her look away from the danger, tearing away at me.

 

But above all, the greatest force within me was rage. The Earth wanted to take my sister from me. It couldn't have her. Not until I lay cold, a lump clogging its throat, stuck with the finality of death itself.

 

I wouldn't let go of her quietly. Not now, or ever. It was my mistake to fix, and I would try or die in the process.

 

"I'm coming!" Without a doubt left, I threw myself into the void. Darkness overtook the light, but that was fine. My own burning drive was the only light I needed. Justice would be served, even if I had to rip the mountain from its post with my own hands.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the unsung past! On your right, you will see a sudden outburst of emotion. I hope things turn out alright...


	3. That Empty Feeling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something is missing. These desolate halls... These abandoned flowers...  
> No, none of those, something else...

I pushed myself to my knees, ignoring the creeking of my ribs and the way my joints popped. I passed out somewhere during the fall. But I was awake now, and I couldn't afford to lose another second. I looked around, wherever I was dark as midnight. Come to think of it, it probably was midnight. When I walked, I heard plants underfoot, some sort of flowers.

 

"Lily! Can you hear me!?" My lungs hurt, too. I'd take care of myself later. I was too caught up on the nearby groaning. Lying on the ground a few feet away was Lil. When I rushed up, I didn't see anything bleeding or pointing the wrong way at least. I pulled her to a sitting position, setting her against the stone slab sticking out of the ground. I gently took ahold of her shoulder.

 

"C'mon, Lil, you need to wake up." The groan got a little louder, and her eyes drifted open. For a second, they were kind of dull, lifeless, but another blink brought the life back.

 

"I need my beauty sleep, Barrel Head. You know that."

 

"You can get as many cat naps as you please when I'm sure nothing's broken." She looked at me cross eyed, all confused. She tried to stand up, but that triggered the same sort of aches I was feeling. "Just stay down for a sec. It'll stop hurting when your body gets used to it." I couldn't hold back a cringe, my own ribs protesting.

 

"Perhaps you should take your own advice."

 

"No can do, Sis. It was me prodding that put you down here, and it's me sweating that'll get you back on your feet." We might've kept talking in circles like that, but then the footsteps started. They were a little muffled, like there was something soft under their feet, but they were getting louder. Whoever was there was coming our way. I turned around, thinking of asking them for help...

 

It wasn't human. It towered over me, arms crossed over its stomach, skin wrapped in a thick layer of white fur and weird, purple robes. I heard Lily gasp, but I kept my eyes forward. It was looking at us funny. Slowly, I put a hand over the holster where my gun was.

 

"Oh, my apologies, I did not intend to frighten you." That voice coming out of it was calming, the tension bleeding out of me with every word. And it was soft, light. Was it a she? Slowly, she made her way over, trying to be as unintimidating as possible. It worked, my hand letting go of the revolver with a sigh.

 

"It's no trouble, really. Just didn't expect to see anyone down here. Especially not a..." Lily coughed, a not so subtle way of pointing out me flapping my gums too much. "Uh, what I meant to say was..."

 

"A bipedal, robed goat, yes?" Her chuckle got rid of my worries of being rude. "It is no problem, it has been a great many years since humanity has seen we monsters." Monsters? Kind of a weird name for goat people, but I could get used to it. "Where are my manners? I am Toriel, caretaker of the Ruins."

 

"Nice to meet you, Miss Toriel. My name's Cliff, and this is my sis, Lily."

 

"I can introduce myself, you..." She grunted, holding her chest as she tried to stand up. Toriel was over in a second, one hand under her arm and another on her forehead. Whatever she felt, she must've thought it wasn't too bad.

 

"It seems your fall has left you a bit shaken. Come, I believe I have something to help back at my home. It is not a long walk from here, if you would follow." Lily leaned a bit into the touch, but her composure didn't take long to come back.

 

"That would be lovely, ma'am. We thank you for your help."

 

"Please, just Toriel is fine. This way, children, and stay close. The puzzles of these catacombs may be a bit much to stumble into on your own."

　

 

-

 

It was a whole three minutes before I figured out the monster name thing, about when we ran into a passive frog, this shy bug looking thing backing away slowly. The bug didn't stick around long, but the frog just stared at us.

 

"Do not fret, the Froggits are rarely a bother."

 

"Wait, so there's more than goats?" I think she found me asking stuff charming or something.

 

"Why yes, monsters come in many shapes. Our bodies are created through a fluid energy known as magic, and the only force that decides its final shape is one's lineage." Wait, magic? I didn't get a chance to ask, but she knew what I was wondering. With a snap of her fingers, a ball of fire popped out of the air over her outstretched hand. She passed it to me, and, after a little indecision, I found that it was staying a few inches from my skin at all times.

 

"It's real..." She smiled at me kindly, my wonder as warming as the fire in my hands. "Lil, you've got to try this! Sis?" When I looked, she had her back to me, staring down the Froggit. It was staring back, sweating profusely. It shook a little, but its face was hard to read. I grabbed her shoulder with a free hand. "Sis, what's wrong?"

 

She jolted a little, breaking eye contact with the Froggit. It shook off whatever had it sweating, jumping away as quickly as it could. Lil turned back to me, the bags under her eyes getting darker.

 

"Apologies. I've simply never seen something of that sort before. It was... intriguing. You were saying?" I shrugged it off, this whole magic and monsters thing hitting me pretty hard, too. She'd love the magic fire!

　

 

-

 

"Pardon me for a moment. This next puzzle is possibly more hazardous than the rest. Please, relax here while I take care of it." She left us in a room on our own, only a handful of stuffed dummies to keep us company.

 

"Hey Cliff, am I the only one who finds this ordeal odd?"

 

"Course not. Like I said, I didn't expect to see a goat lady with fire magic. But I think I'm getting used to all this weird." She glanced around, brow furrowing.

 

"Thought you said scowling like that'd give you crow's feet?"

 

"I feel somewhat, I don't know, uncertain about all of this. Is it not discomforting to know someone who can control flame so naturally as breathing? It strikes me as hazardous, at the absolute least." I figured she was still rattled from the fall.

 

"Miss Toriel's been nothing but nice to us, and last I checked, she knows how to use that stuff safely. No different than me and my revolver if you think about it. You've been good with that for years now." After a bit more thought, her face straightened out, shoulders slouching.

 

"Why must you always have a point?"

 

"Face it Sis, I know the rougher stuff better than a lot of folks. You can keep your high society all to yourself, though. Don't much care for it." She chuckled.

 

"Let's face it, if you showed anyone the mop under that hat, the traditionally minded would have heart attacks." I plucked the Stetson off, running fingers through my admittedly dirty, sweaty brown hair.

 

"True enough. Not everyone has contest cash to throw at hair care stuff." She was laughing well at that. A little laugh can do wonders. I started thinking about how to bring up what landed us here in the first place, now that we had some time alone, but she cut me off too quickly.

 

"Well, how about it? Why not see what these practice dolls can take? It would be a better use of our time than laying about waiting." She had a good point, stepping up to one of them off to the side. Her back was to me again, sizing it up.

 

The last thing I expected was her leg to go up straight, one of those fancy dancing stretches. It came down with the force of a cheap jack hammer, the tip of her pricy tap shoes cutting through the cloth and stuffing. That gash told me not to underestimate what someone like her could do, not that I didn't already know.

 

I slid my revolver out. Why not practice a bit? She didn't want to talk yet anyway, and I figured it'd be for the best if we patched her up some before I got all emotional on her. I tipped the rim of my hat down, keeping the light out of my eyes. I lined up my arm, finger on the trigger.

 

"Hold, child, the dummies are not for combat!" Toriel came running in, laying a hand over my arm. It was weirdly soft. "You would not know, but many in this place have been lacking in terms of social contact. They put these together in an admitedly poor attempt of forging new conversation partners." I put my gun arm down.

 

"Shoot, sorry about that. We're used to the type up top, the ones you train hitting and such. Is there some way to pay you all back for it or..."

 

"No such payment is needed, child. So long as you understand to use something else for target practice, there will be no hard feelings." That was a relief. Opening up the cylinder, I started thinking it was for the best I didn't go shooting randomly. There were only three bullets left, and you can't be too sure about finding more before you need them. I holstered the thing, saving my shots, just in case.

 

"Come now, the route forward is clear. My home is just around the corner, and I've prepared a small welcoming token for you." She led the way further in, but something was nagging at me. I glanced at Lily, her expression unreadable. She didn't even say sorry.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You have no idea how much I just wanted to make the opening summary that first line of Mad World. No, not the black, white, and red Wii game. The other one.
> 
> "Hello Darkness, my old friend~"
> 
> Yeah, that one.


	4. Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this world, things are rarely fair. No matter how hard you hold on, how much you care, something is always...

Miss Toriel's house was, well, hard to describe. The place itself was nice, smooth, purple bricks giving it this calming air. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was up, that it was too quiet. And that tree out front wasn't helping. Half its branches were missing leaves, but it didn't feel near cold enough to be turning to Winter down here. Maybe the magic was thick enough to change how things worked, like how deep red its leaves were.

 

"Please, come inside. Make yourselves comfortable as I find something to mend your wounds." When we were actually through the door, that weird feeling I got was pushed back. The wood plank floors and white walls were real homey, and the flowers she had here and there made it smell nice to boot. Wait, that wasn't just flowers I was smelling...

 

"Is that... cinnamon?" I could hear Lily's stomach growling, loud enough to hear over both her question and frustration. Man, she couldn't even drop her act when it was just me.

 

"Yeah, and a little butterscotch I think."

 

"Your noses are rather impressive, I must say! As it happens, I was working on a little something before I even knew I would have guests. Take a seat at the table and I will pass some out." I didn't like the idea of taking food off someone who was already doing so much for us, but I couldn't hide how hungry I was.

 

"We do not wish to be a bother, Toriel. You already offered to help us in one aspect. We could not possibly..."

 

"Nonsense, child. In truth, I relish the idea of hosting guests. My fellow Ruin inhabitants are not keen on bothering me, as they say, and it gets rather lonely." Guess she wasn't immune to the lack of social interaction thing, either.

 

"C'mon, Lil. She might get offended if we turn her down too much." She didn't argue when I took her by the arm, soft like, of course, and pulled her along with me. She was so dang concerned about pulling a fur paws, or whatever she called it, that she missed the obvious. Not everyone was as rigid as high society types.

 

Case and point, Toriel already had a few plates set out for us on a neat little dining room table. She had an eye for decorating, the hand knit, white table cloth matching the room around it point for point. The closer we got, the stronger the smell got, until we were staring down the biggest slices of pie I'd ever seen. And trust me, I'd seen some big pies. Rodeo types know how to celebrate a successful show.

 

"Surprise! A small, personal recipe, butterscotch-cinnamon pie. The portions may seem a bit much, but you would be delighted to know the health benefits I have worked in over the years." She didn't have to ask me twice, jumping up into one of the plus size chairs. Goat type monsters were definitely a bit bigger than us humans.

 

I dug a fork in, a plume of steam and more smells puffing out of the cut. Popping it in my mouth, I noticed it was the perfect temperature. Not hot enough to burn anything, but not cold enough to break that fresh out of the oven experience. And the taste, there just weren't words. She must've had a lot of time to work her craft if it turned out like this.

 

"Oh my, this is..." Lil was staring at her slice, a few crumbs stuck to her lower lip. Her eyes were wavering a little, like the pie was touching her right in the heart. Didn't think she was the dramatic type, but, then again, that was the first homemade dessert she'd had in ages. She dropped any ideas of holding herself proper, digging in like she hadn't eaten in years.

 

"It does my heart good to see you two enjoy my cooking so much!" I nodded with renewed energy, my mouth too full to talk. That was one thing I agreed with Lil on, people spewing food all over talking like that was another level of gross, and not just because they were wasting food.

 

Actually, now that I thought about it, that energy boost was too much to just be excitement. It was an actual refuel, like someone stuffed me with caffeine, but without the jittery feeling. And when I breathed deep, I noticed that ache in my ribs was long gone.

 

"Hold on, where'd all the pain go? Could've sworn I was hurting pretty bad a second ago." Toriel chuckled, that patient smile of hers on full display. Looked like it was lesson time again.

 

"Monsters put a small piece of themselves into their work. An artist gives their paintings a shine, construction workers imbue stability into the very foundation, and chefs weave restorative properties into their meals." Wow, and to think I only saw magic as smoke and mirrors. "Of course, someone of greater magic could override these effects post creation, but such cases are rarely to the item's detriment. After all, who would see fit to deface a painting, or topple another's home?"

 

"So, monsters make the world a little more just by touching it?" Nothing like a little know-how to digest with my meal, and I'd need to learn something about the people who'd be around me for a while anyway.

 

"In a way. Keep in mind, simply touching an object is not enough to create the effect. One must focus on the item to a significant degree, such as when they are making it in the first place. Things dear to one's heart naturally become infused as well." Hang on a tick, wouldn't that mean...?

 

"Would someone's spouse fall under that category?" It was just for a second, but I saw her grin twitch downwards. Did I step on a touchy topic? If I did, I never found out, the change gone as quick as I spotted it.

 

"In fact, they would. In many cases, true love can confer the greatest enhancements of all. I have seen couples whose strength became towering as their dedication to one another increased." Cheesy as it was, that was actually heartwarming. Love made these guys stronger. "You are quite observant for one so young."

 

"Oh it's nothing. Spend as much time out in the wilds as me and you start picking things..." A little burp derailed my train of thought. Not the burp itself, you'd have to have pretty bad focus for such a quiet thing to mess with you, but more where it came from. Lily had a small blush going, covering her mouth.

 

"My apologies, I was not expecting that."

 

"You know, many cultures would see that as a compliment. Not monster culture in particular, but I would call myself rather open." Her hand slowly went back down to the table, grabbing awkwardly for the fork, but her blush stuck around for a while. I didn't think I had ever seen Lily's cheeks quite that rosy red before. That out of the way, there was something I needed to know.

 

"You know Toriel, I'm a might curious how you guys slipped by us surface types for so long. We've found things small as bacteria at the ocean floor, but magic slinging monsters stayed secret just under some mountain? I can't rightly buy that." Her hands, which had been crossed over each other on her stomach until then, started fidgetting. She almost audibly gulped, too.

 

"I was getting to that, and you will understand my... hesitation when all is said." Her eyes were getting more and more distant by the second. She breathed deep, a sigh carrying off all the tension she could unload. It wasn't much, but it was something. "That story begins some time ago, with some rather gruesome details. I will, for both of our sakes, leave out as many as possible."

 

"What matters is that we monsters once lived on the surface, just as your kind do now. In fact, we lived along side humans for a time. But eventually, those early humans began to fear us. I am among the few who are still alive that saw that fateful day, when their worries over our magics inspired wicked action."

 

"They brought down all the power they could, reducing so many of us to dust. Any defense we mounted fell, just as the settlements those brave warriors stood guard over. So many of us, scattered to the wind in such a short time. I pray you never have to understand what... what it was..." She held up a hand, trying to buy a little time to wipe off tears building in her eyes. I was locked on her every word, feeling worse and worse about my species. I knew it wasn't really fair, the people who actually did that long dead by the sound, but for such a horrible crime to just get swept under the rug and forgotten reflected badly on all of us.

 

"Eventually, the handful of colonies that yet stood were pushed back into the mountain, taking shelter in a deep cavern. Civilians stood behind a line of three soldiers, the only ones who remained, fearful the next clash of arms would be the last, opening a floodgate that would see us all slain. But that clash never came."

 

"We are yet unsure why, but we were spared such a fate. On the horizon, we saw seven robed humans, magi of old, prepare a spell of their own. One great wave of magic coated Mount Ebott, its deepest reaches wrapped within a bubble. The cave's entrance sealed shut. Humans could no longer reach us, but in exchange, we were forever sealed within the stone."

 

"That's insane!" Plates rattled as I lashed out at the table, trying to let loose the building fury before I got the bright idea of bringing it out on someone who didn't deserve it. "How awful can you get? Killing and locking up some folks because of something they _might_ do!? Well then, might as well wipe out a few random towns in the middle of nowhere, because they _might_ be planning a takeover. Or arrest any random Jack or Jill on the street, since they so clearly _might_ be planning to rob the nearest store!" I was shaking, hands clenched so hard I was surprised my nails weren't digging through my palms. My eyes were screwed shut as tight as I could push them. "Frankly, after all that, I don't rightly know how you can stomach looking at the two of us, let alone patch us up..."

 

"Shh, please, be calm." An arm wrapped around me, pulling me into a bakery-scented robe. I felt someone else held there on my right, probably Lil getting the same treatment. "It is true, humans have harmed us, unforgiveably so. I do not think I will ever have a kind thought for those who carried out the attacks, nor the magi who sealed us away. But their sins are not yours. You were not even a twinkle in the eyes of those forefathers who had wronged us, assuming such a link even exists for you. I will not set the blame for their actions upon your shoulders, nor treat you any less than I would a child of my own kind."

 

It was weird, but, sitting there in Toriel's arms, I felt something deep down loosen up. Somewhere in my chest, a weight I didn't even know was there started to vanish. My mind flashed back to when I was just a tyke, resting on Mom's lap. It was... almost rejuvinating. I hadn't felt so safe in years.

 

"And that is why I cannot allow you beyond these Ruins." The feeling was shrinking. Not gone, but that one sentence made me question how quick I lowered my guard. I was a little too stunned to come up with a response.

 

"What, why? Why would you hold my brother and I here?" At least one of us could talk, albeit in a hushed, confused voice.

 

"From the day we were locked away, out greatest minds have worked at disecting the composition of the Barrier. We found that it was no simple magic, but raw essence of the human Soul. Such a thing could not be scratched by even our most powerful techniques. Only one thing possibly could. Another human Soul."

 

"Seven humans locked us away. Seven sacrifices could see us freed. By combining an equal force with the inherent strength of a monster's Soul, it would overwhelm, and thus destroy, the Barrier. That is the goal that our king... Asgore... has dedicated himself to. He has sworn on his life to make humanity pay in full for what transpired. With his Royal Guard, he aims to claim the Souls of seven humans as his own, and use them to free monster kind."

 

"I would know. Two humans have passed through this place already, swearing they would return. Tell me, do you see them here?" Our Souls... could free them? It sounded too... "I cannot allow the same to happen to you. As I said, those sins are not your own, and I cannot stand by as you are forced to pay for them. So please..." Her arms tightened around us, blocking the rest of the world out.

 

"Let me protect you. The monsters in these Ruins do not know what a human looks like, but the same cannot be said for the Guard, who patrol every sector beyond. Here, with me, you are safe." Her voice was catching up on every letter. Part of me thought this was as much for her as it was for us, but I didn't mind. She just wanted to help us. If it kept my sister out of the frier, how could I say no?

 

"Thank you, Toriel. Guess that's two Lil and me owe you." I hugged her back, my mind all but made up.

 

"If there is anything we can do to help around your home, do not be afraid to ask." Looked like it was agreed then. We'd be staying as long as she'd have us. She sniffled, hug getting almost a little too tight. Almost.

 

"All I ask is that you remain safe. Come, I believe I have the perfect room for you two."

　

 

-

　

 

I had to wonder how she got her hands on such nice beds. The one I was on was soft, and the blankets were just thick enough. Not too stuffy, but they kept the chill in the air off of me. The rest of the room was nice, too, light orange walls making it all feel warm and inviting. There was even a little art, a hand drawn picture of a buttercup in crayon, hanging just over my head.

 

And yet, even with the nice, soothing roof over my head, my thoughts wandered far and wide. There was so much to absorb. In one day, I went from being some random kid like any other to the ward of a fire flinging goat, deep in the heart of an underground society bent on carving their way back to the surface. But it wasn't the magic, the odd, but neat, people, or my new home that drew me deeper and deeper. Well, it was, in part, the home, but not the immediate walls.

 

This whole place, the Underground, a prison whose prisoners hadn't done anything wrong. Even if the means weren't clean, their ends were understandable, tracking down humans. They just wanted the air, the stars, the Sun that was torn away. Their king, this Asgore guy, just wanted to give it all to them. I could respect that much, even if I was afraid.

 

Not for me. No, I was afraid for Lily. I mean, I was content, but I never really had a grand plan. I was happy going day to day, living off of nature. Lil? She had actual hopes. Dreams. Her dancing career was her everything, her driving force, but now she could never get out and show the world her stuff. The folks in the Ruins might like it, but she deserved a bigger audience than some frogs and shy bugs, no offense of course.

 

Maybe all of monster kind would do? But then there was the little matter of the Royal Guards. They'd track her down the second she found a stage. Was there a way to get them off her back? Was there a way to let her live around peacefully, so she didn't have to keep looking over her shoulder? I thought more and more about that, almost piecing together a rough answer, but could I really...?

 

"Hey Barrel Head, what has you so worried?" My train stopped, turning to look her in the eye. Even in the dark, and under reasonably thick blankets, her outfit still sparkled.

 

"That obvious?" Her smug smirk was just as bright.

 

"The last time your expression was that stern was the day you sat down to figure out Dad's safe combination. Not precisely the face of someone who has everything figured out." Her savvy did have some benefits. Sure wish I could read people so well. Maybe I should outright ask instead? I looked back at the ceiling.

 

"What do you think about that whole Barrier situation?" I could hear her annoyed huff from across the room.

 

"Yes, the threat looms over me just as darkly. To think they would not even leave children who had nothing to due with their imprisonment untouched is a sickening action." So that's how she took it.

 

"But you've got to feel a little sorry for them. I mean, what did they really do in the end? Exist? That just isn't right."

 

"True enough, but Toriel is right. It does not give them the right to steal human Souls when the humans behind it all are long passed. If they were not, I could see taking theirs, should it be possible, but not us bystanders." I needed to word my response real carefully.

 

"What if... they didn't have to _steal_ it?"

 

"What are you talking about?"

 

"I'm thinking... I'm thinking of just handing mine over." Her gasp was louder than my voice. "Look, hear me out. Asgore doesn't sound like a bad guy. He just wants what's best for his people. A good cause, but with bad practices. If I go to him willingly, maybe we could work something out. You know, a deal."

 

"Now don't get me wrong, I don't think I'm worth the five Souls he'd need to bust the Barrier. But maybe I could be worth one." I turned back to her, looking at her shocked eyes. "Yours."

 

"Cliff, what... What's gotten into you?" She sounded winded, like someone hit her in the lungs.

 

"Reality, that's what. Take a step back and really look at me. I'm just some regular kid with a revolver. I don't have anything big to me. But you, your dancing's the stuff of dreams, no matter what some judges say. If I can get him to talk about it, maybe Asgore could pardon you from all of this. Give you the crowd you worked your whole life for with the rest of monster kind." She shoved the blankets off of her, letting her sit straight up. I couldn't pin down the look in her eyes.

 

"You dolt, I'm the elder sibling. It's my job to look after you, not the other way around!"

 

"I know, but you've been doing it for me for years. I'm just thinking that, this way, I could help you and a whole race in one swoop." Her eyes started to water, a sure sign I was saying something she didn't like.

 

"No, no, absolutely not!" Her hand was grabbing at the sheets so hard, I was shocked they weren't tearing. "I could never live with myself if you... if I let you..." Her eyes screwed shut, trying to curtail her angry tears.

 

"Hey, it's just a thought. I'm not going to march off and throw myself on the pile randomly. Look, it's been a long day for us. Let's sleep on it for now. We can talk this all out when we wake up, okay?" She was still sniffling, but gave in, nodding in agreement.

 

"I swear, if you are anywhere but in that bed when I get up..."

 

"I promise, I'm not leaving this house behind your back." She threw the blankets back over herself, closing the door on our conversation. I couldn't blame her, really. My plan was more than a bit out there. "Goodnight, Sis. Sleep well." I curled back into my pillow, hoping a good night's rest would clear my head.

 

On the verge of sleep, I swore I could feel something hovering over me. I didn't open my eyes, too far in to get up again. I drifted off soon enough, ignoring the sensation that pierced deep into me. For some reason, the only thing I could picture from it was the color red.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ominous!


	5. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Companionship, such a beautiful thing. Maybe that's precisely why it hurts so much to lose it. An odd irony, yes?

My muscles popped as the room came back to me. The lighting was just right, not dark enough to tempt me to close my eyes again, but not so bright that it forced me to. Then again, without the Sun, I didn't know if it was even time to get up yet. I always knew that if it was a few notches too high into the sky, I had been out too long.

 

Man, it hadn't really set in that I probably wouldn't see the Sun again. Kind of a scary thought, you know? At least there were other ways to tell the time. My eyes wandered over to the bedside table, the electric clock showing eight A.M. A little late for my tastes, but I didn't have much to do anyway.

 

Focusing further out, I noticed the other bed was empty. Stranger still, the covers were just thrown off. There wasn't a second thought given to how it looked as the occupant left. That was weird for a lot of reasons. Lily was acting all out of sorts as of late. Maybe the no more surface thing was hitting her harder than I thought. I hoped she was just having a stroll around the house or something, clear the head a little.

 

Oh well, it bought me a bit more time to think up how to deal with my half awake brain spewing a half baked idea out the night before. Sure, Asgore and his people could use my Soul more than me, but Lil needed it even more. It was hard losing family, and I almost pushed it on her again. Maybe I could get her to teach me a thing about tact if she ever forgave me for that.

 

I got to my feet, thinking a little drink sounded nice. Yeah, I was one of those sorts who always woke up with a dry mouth. Not the most comfortable thing to go through, but at least it was easy to take care of. The door opened, and I immediately noticed the smell in the air. It was fresh and mouth watering, as my rumbling stomach would agree.

 

I did my best to hurry along without making too much noise, though it was hard with leather boots. There was a cold breeze going through the entryway, making the warmth radiating from the kitchen all the more appealing. I rounded the corner, coming face to face with Toriel, who was just picking up a fresh plate of pancakes.

 

"Oh, you are awake! I would have thought you needed your sleep after yesterday." I made way, not wanting to slow her down.

 

"I'm kinda built to rise early. Take advantage of the day before it gets too hot, you know?"

 

"Well, that should not be so necessary anymore. The Underground tends to stay consistent as far as weather is concerned, no matter the time of day or season." I didn't quite know how to feel about that, and I think she could tell. Her eyes got this look of pity to them. "I know the transition must be rough. It was not so gentle on any of us, either."

 

"I'm fine, really. Sure, there's a lot to miss, but I'm still breathing. Thinking about how far we must've fell, I'm counting that as a blessing. Never look a gift horse in the mouth, after all." My brain chimed in at that, making me question what I just said. "Wait, are there horse monsters around here? Did I just offend someone?" The plate in her hands teetered a little, trying to cover her light laughter.

 

"No, as odd as it is. There is one variant of reindeer, but that is as close as it gets." She patted the top of my hat, a calming gesture. "It is good to hold such a positive outlook. I can only hope you hold onto it as time passes. For now, perhaps some breakfast is called for." She set the plate down, showing off the fruits of her labor. There were even chocolate chips mixed in! "Why don't you go wake your sister? Surely she would like to join us."

 

My brain started screaming at me, a big red flag going up. I could feel my pulse starting to climb.

 

"Wait, you haven't seen her?" Toriel's confused face just made me worry more. She read me like a book, expression getting more serious.

 

"Lily could not have wandered far. We should find her, just in case. The puzzles may have reactivated, and the last thing we need is her stumbling into one." I blindly followed her, my head running a hundred miles an hour. Was it my fault? Did I send her into some sort of panic with my suggestion? Let me tell you, guilt wasn't the nicest vest to put on.

 

Not even the cold wind going through the halls could calm me. I was so out of it, I almost rammed into Toriel when she stopped before the door out.

 

"Cliff, please tell me I am the only one who feels that."

 

"You mean that breeze?" Her worry turned to outright alarm, eyes shooting open as she bolted for the stairs going down. I didn't think she could move that quick with all those robes, but she was giving a lot of cars a run for their money.

 

I chased her as best I could. Her basement looked like it was just one big hallway, similar to the rest of the Ruins, but it was way colder. That breeze was a full wind soon enough, and felt like it was from the heart of Winter.

 

I almost lost sight of her, but she came to a screeching halt soon after the first bend. A solid stone door stood in front of her, but it was wide open. Catching up, I saw that her eyes were locked on it, wide and almost blank, and her mouth hung open.

 

"Toriel, you said this was..."

 

"...the path to Asgore's domain..." Her voice was thin, weak. "I warned you both, why would she...?"

 

"It's my fault." The realization caught us both off guard. What was that cold feeling in my heart? The twisting, frozen ache deep down? "I... I wasn't thinking clear last night, and said something stupid about buying her a place with monster kind with my Soul." My arms clenched uncontrollably, a little flare of anger passing through me. I wasn't sure what at. Lily? Asgore?

 

...Myself?

 

"She must've run off to do it herself, buy me a place with her... I, I'm so dim! I just rambled on without a thought and sent her off on some wild goose chase!" Suddenly, my eyes focused. The road ahead was clear, the one route that called out in the least. "And I've gotta find her."

 

"No, you must stay here." She set a hand on my arm, holding a bit too tight. "I will go and find her. Monsters would not react to me as they would to you."

 

"Least till they saw you helping Lil get back here. All it'd take is one blowing the whistle, and you'd be on wanted posters up and down the Underground. At least my name's already good as mud." That grip just got more sturdy.

 

"I am more than strong enough to handle myself. You are but a child, you wouldn't stand a chance against...!"

 

"You don't know Lily!" I didn't expect that outburst, but it got the quiet second I wanted. "Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, and I can't thank you enough for what you've already done, but you only just met us. Even if you do find her, you wouldn't know what to say to calm her down. Heck, I doubt I do, seeing how it's how we..." The words died in my throat. Still trying to keep my ground, I set a gentle hand on Toriel's wrist.

 

"Point is, if she'd stop and listen to just one of us, it'd be me, and we can't both go. You said it before, this is a one way opening. Without someone on the other side, we'd be locked out there." For the first time since we got to the basement, I looked her in the eye. Something she saw, I don't know what, made her recoil. "Please, let me save my sister."

 

Her eyes screwed shut, and she turned away. Her sleeves strained, probably mirroring the arms they covered. For a second, I thought I saw a tear start to trail down. It wasn't a long chance to look, since she pulled me into a hug soon after. It was just as comforting as the first one.

 

"Promise me. Promise me you will be safe." I let myself smile, just a little, my point getting through. I wrapped my arms around her as best I could.

 

"I promise I'll be back. We both will, cross my heart." I heard a sniffle, but I wasn't sure who it came out of.

 

"Very well. My hands are tied." She let me go, propping the doors open a little wider. "Avoid the cleared paths, as those are where guards are most likely to patrol. When you find her, bring her back to the door and knock six times. No more, no less." She tried her best to look calm, happy, but she couldn't hide the tears in her eyes or how her smile wavered.

 

"Be good, won't you..." She hesitated, taking a deep breath. "...my child?" In that pit of my heart, I felt a little ember hit home. It filled a gap I didn't know was still around. I felt almost... whole. For me, it was all the more reason to march on.

 

"Course. You've got my word, and my word's final. Stubborn like that, you know?" Her smile got a bit more genuine. She went to pat my hat one more time, but I knew what she was really trying to do. I pulled it off, leaving my probably ragged hat hair out in the open. Didn't stop her from tossling it.

 

"We will see about making this a little more manageable when you return. What do you say?" It was my turn to lighten up.

 

"Sounds good to me." The clock ticked at the back of my mind. I couldn't afford to drag my heels any more. "Be back soon as we can. And, if you don't mind, could you save some pancakes? We'll probably both be hungry."

 

"I will be certain to have a fresh batch waiting, don't you worry." She watched me while I walked forward, farther and farther from the light of those halls. This one was a bit darker, but I managed. I kept the corner of my eye trained back, until all I saw was the shadows. I was alone.

 

Ahead of me, I saw a sliver of light. Probably another door she left open in her rush out. I gulped, the hall only getting colder. Even if we were stuck in the Ruins, we could make the most of it. I could make her see that much, I was sure.

 

But if I didn't hurry, it would be too late. Too late to show her how great things could still be. Too late to keep my promise with Toriel. Too late to say I was sorry. She still had people who loved her, and I didn't care how hard I had to drill that lesson in.

 

The courage in me lit, and my legs picked up the pace. I hoped like heck those doors were ones to push, cause I didn't feel like slowing down. I didn't plan on stopping until Lily was safe in my arms.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Winter is coming, friends, in more ways than one. Seriously, it was frigid over night, and, as much as I love me some frigid weather, it means the time of year has come where we youth of the world are marched along to school. There might be a little dip in updates while my schedule shifts around that, but I'm not letting this train screech to a halt while I'm at the wheel. Things will be picking up next time, I promise you.
> 
> By the by, I'm considering just doing one of these for all six of the Souls before I jump on the third main entry. It'd give me some more stuff to work with that I feel would improve the whole package. I'll be doing the other Souls no matter what, but I wanted to probe around a bit, see if you guys have an issue with them coming sooner than later.


	6. Bitter Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter, the most beautiful of seasons. So why, then, does it hurt so much?

The stone door was heavy, but not immovable. I was thankful for that, otherwise I might’ve broken my arm with the tackle. It still stung a good bit, but nothing I wasn’t used to. Even luckier, the weather acted like a natural ice pack.

 

It was, as the cold breeze back in the Ruins suggested, absolutely frigid. We weren’t anywhere near Winter on the surface, but this part of the Underground looked like it was smack in the middle of it. The snow was thick, everything outside a little dirt path piling up to my knees. The thick forest of leafless trees were frosted over, a thin veil of ice acting as a second bark.

 

If I knew Lily as well as I thought I did, I was sure she wouldn’t want to wade out into the thick snow if she could help it. Her dance outfit wasn’t exactly insulated, and it would be all too easy for some to get into her ballet shoes. That left one option, the path leading off to who knows where. I made sure to close the door behind me, taking care of that draft and the risk of someone stumbling on Toriel’s hidden home.

 

I noticed the distinct lack of handles on the outside. Just like she said, this was a one way opening. I didn’t know why someone would build a door like that, but it was better than any lock. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

 

“Guess that was my last shot to chicken out.” Toriel was probably a ways out of ear shot by then, and she fully expected there to be two of us on the other side when I knocked. Well, I was in the same boat. Even if I could, going back was out of the question. I turned away from the door, that promise of safety so close, yet so far, and stared down the white horizon.

 

“I’m comin’, Lil, whether you want me to or not.” The rows of trees blurred as I passed, running too fast for my eyes to focus. The only thing that could hold my attention was the road ahead. It was broken by a short crater, right in the middle of the way, but such a little thing wasn’t too great at keeping someone on the fit side from crossing. A little hop carried me over, no speed lost. It’d take a way bigger pit to stop me.

 

-

 

I didn’t know how an underground cavern could have things like wind or snowfall, but I couldn’t deny it was possible when the forces in question were blasting me at full force. It eased up whenever I was by a thicker patch of woods, but that still left plenty of time for the high speed specks of ice to dig into my skin. I held an arm up over my eyes, trying to keep them clear of water. I didn’t want to blindly stumble into another slick spot, even with thick pants on.

 

There was one obstacle I was seeing a severe lack of. No matter how far I went, I couldn’t find any monsters. Calm patches of woods, abandoned wooden shacks, even snow sculptures that, upon closer inspection, weren’t quite settled yet, but no monsters. That little bit of me that thought rationally was saying they all just packed up for the snow storm, but the rest was on high alert. Even if I was safer as was, I always followed the gut instinct, and it was telling me how fishy things were.

 

The wind died down by the time I got to what looked like the top of a plateau. In one way, it was good, making sure I could see my way ahead without charging straight over a ledge. In another, it was bad, since I could clearly see the mile drop down. Even though heights weren’t a problem for me, and I already survived a way longer fall, I was still careful whenever the path got thin.

 

Eventually, the normal pat of my footfall on the ground, the only constant source of noise, turned to a harsh crunch. It was distinctly not the sound of snow, and, looking down, there wasn’t a single drop of water on my boots, like what you’d usually get from stepping in a pile. In its place, I found a thin layer of grey dust.

 

I kneeled down, wiping a few fingers along the ground. It stuck easily to my skin and clung tight no matter how hard I rubbed at it. It might’ve been closer in color to the dirt I was used to, not blue like the stuff before, but for some reason I felt uneasy touching it. I was quick to wipe it off on a nearby snow drift, careful to not step in any more of the stuff.

 

-

 

I found a vantage point in the form of an especially tall plateau. The snow had all but stopped, giving me a clear view of the landscape. Most ways, I only found what I’d already been through for miles. Snowy forests and pillars of rock, not a lick of life anywhere. But dead ahead, just passed another pair of cliffs and a long bridge, I spotted a glimmer of actual civilization.

 

Down below, right up against a cave wall, there was a small village. Wooden huts made up the bulk of the buildings, a single brick structure standing near what looked like a Christmas tree towards the center. From what I saw, the path I was following all this way ran straight through the center of town.

 

At first, I thought it would be for the best to avoid the settlement. If there were going to be guards anywhere, it would be in the middle of a populated area. But then I looked a little closer. That path ran out the other end of town, right into the mouth of another cave tunnel. Looking left and right, I could tell it was the only path out of this chilly place. If my hunch was right, it was the only way closer to the surface, and the only way Lily would want to be heading.

 

I took a deep breath. If that was the only way forward, I’d need to get through as quick as I could. If Toriel, a random civilian, could make fire at will, I could only imagine what a trained guard could do if they caught up to me. My only hope was outrunning them.

 

As my blood pressure rose, my hand trailed its way to the holster at my hip. Once I realized what I was doing, I forced it back. These guys weren’t hunting humans out of malice. They just wanted to be free. I didn’t agree with the method, but there was no way I’d willingly kill someone for just trying to get a fair shake for their people. Besides, I only had three bullets. What good would an empty gun be if I dug my heels in to fight?

 

From there, the trail started to decline. That town in the distance dropped under the twin cliffs, but I knew following the path would get me there just fine. I noticed some new noise just down the way. I couldn’t quite make it out right away, but I started piecing it together the closer I got.

 

“…nd may the soul that bound these ashes lay in peace, far from the danger that…” There was no mistaking it. That was a voice, deep and firm, and I could put together what was going on easily enough. Some sort of funeral service.

 

I slid into the tree line, ducking behind any cover I could find. Progress was slow, but getting farther undetected was a smarter idea than blowing the fact that no one knew I was even in the Underground.

 

Peeking out from behind a tree, I found two figures in the middle of the road. They were each clad in armor, shining gold as the Sun, a weapon strapped to their backs. The shorter one, maybe five feet tall, was carting around a hammer. The business end was bigger than me, and just as brilliant as the armor. The other, who was nearly twice the first one’s height, had a lance that almost reached from his head to the ground. Course, my guesses there could’ve been off, both dropped down to one knee as the lance guy said his prayers.

 

“…so we say goodnight, dear friend. May you find freedom in your next life, whatever it may be.” Just standing there didn’t feel right. I pulled my hat off, placing it over my heart in respect. Human, monster, didn’t matter. The dead deserved their dues. The shorter one rose first, revealing the head of a turtle.

 

“C’mon, Titan. Far as we know, the killer’s still out there. We don’t have much time to work with.” The taller one, Titan, got to his feet, a bright white coat barely standing out against the Winter landscape. I couldn’t tell what breed he was, the extra fluff and pointed ears not ringing a bell, but there was no doubt he was a dog of some sort. Turning to his friend, I noted that some of the fur hung over the chest plate of his armor, like a beard.

 

“Aye, a dangerous one at that. I’ve lost count how many piles we’ve come across. You don’t think it was a…” He hesitated, eyes growing hazy.

 

“A human?” My heart skipped a beat. That was my cue to get out of there. “Could be. There isn’t a whiff of magic residue on any of the remains, leaving out most of our own. On your guard, you should know full well these cans we’ve got on won’t do much against human attacks.”

 

“Yes sir, and don’t worry. Ole’ Reliable should keep their ilk at least an arm’s…” A crack. I looked down, two halves of a branch on opposite sides of my boot. The world slowed down as I looked back up, and our eyes met.

 

For a moment, no one moved. We were like deer in the headlights, staring ahead, unable to process what was happening. The first one to recover was the turtle, reaching towards the hilt above his head.

 

“You…” My heart started again, and I bolted. Behind me, the pair of guards were already in hot pursuit. I considered heading deeper into the woods, the plentiful trees providing an obstacle for the weighed down duo, but had to scrap the idea. If I lost sight of the path, there was a chance I’d get plain lost. At that point, every second would be another step Lily had over me. I willed myself back out to the road, pouring every drop of adrenaline that flowed through me to my legs.

 

Ahead, the two cliffs grew closer. There was just enough of a gap between them to squeeze through. I rushed recklessly, blocking out everything besides myself, the guards behind me, and that small opening forward.

 

That was a mistake, as I realized the instant my foot met solid ice. I lost traction, rolling shoulder first into the ground. My momentum carried me along the slick sheet of ice, even part way into the gap. I was dazed and flat on my back, but still in it. I dug my elbows into the ground, pushing myself up into a sitting position.

 

The guards came back into view, their expressions twisted. The dog’s mouth was stretched open, sharpened fangs bared and fur bristled into points. A faint white aura trailed him. The turtle, at a glance, was more reserved, a simple scowl all he showed. A glance in the eyes, though, revealed the righteous fury within him, a nova that burned like the stars above.

 

“No one harms our people so grievously and lives to tell the tale, SO SWEARS GERSON!” If he only knew it wasn’t me who was responsible, maybe we could’ve talked things out, but I didn’t think that hammer leading his tackle was in a discussing mood. I scrambled to get my feet under me, but was repeatedly put back down by the slick terrain. Those two were less than dissuaded, armor punching through the sheet with every step. I was almost to the point of panicking when a small mound of snow dropped into the path from above.

 

Towards the top of the ravine, branches hung over the gap. Atop their barren lengths, a huge store of snow sat, probably fresh from the storm. A lightbulb went off, and I reached for my revolver. The turtle hunched over, covering his head with the hammer, expecting some sort of attack. My gun slid out easily, and I pointed it skyward.

 

From what I could see, they were both shocked when I shot well above them. If they had glanced upwards, they would have seen a projectile bursting through one of the thicker branches towards the center of the canopy. The whole web creaked loudly before giving in with a crack. Using one foot, I shoved hard, sending myself skidding along the ground out of the landing zone. Behind me, a mountain of snow fell, a frozen barricade between me and them.

 

“Have you no honor!?” In that state, Titan’s yell was more like a beastly roar than proper language. I didn’t give him an answer, turning tail as soon as I found some proper footing. The snow wall was a short term distraction at best, still loose enough to be cleared away with little effort.

 

The bridge came and went like a blur. I considered cutting it down, ending the chase then and there, but decided against it. It would’ve separated them from the only civilization for miles, at least as far as I saw, and I didn’t consider myself that kind of a monster.

 

Wait, that phrase didn’t work too well anymore. At least I didn’t say it out loud.

 

The little town, though pretty and cozy looking, wasn’t worth slowing down for. I managed to catch a few glimpses around along the way. The sign out front called the place Snowdin. A little on the nose, but it worked. And it probably got right confusing with the local hotel being called the Snowed Inn.

 

When I got to what looked like the locals’ homes, I noticed that all of their curtains were shut tight. There wasn’t a scrap of light coming from any of them, and the place was quiet. The ground around their big Christmas tree was covered in that weird grey dust. Was it something the monsters left lying around, like that one type of fish that ate corral? If it was, I was more than happy to steer clear of the patches.

 

It wasn’t long before I found myself at that hole in the wall, the mouth of another cavern. Out in the distance, I heard something heavy and metal thudding against wood. I pushed a little harder, hoping that, if they didn’t see me, the guards would think I was still somewhere in town.

 

White snow gave way to blue rock, and the temperature started to raise up a bit. It was strange, actually seeing a ceiling I could point out as obviously part of a cave. In the Ruins, it was like a roof over my head, and it was far enough off near Snowdin to almost mistake it for open sky. Here though, I could feel the weight of the stone pressing down around me, like a tomb.

 

Even with that tight, trapped feeling, I had to admit there was something peaceful in the air. Maybe it was the blue shade everything took, right down to the glowing mushrooms, but I felt a little more in control. Paired up with the steady sound of the flowing river off to my left, a far cry from those pounding, rightfully angry boots, I almost found myself slowing down to take it all in. But I couldn’t spare the time, not until I found…

 

A light clicking caught my ear. It was slow, but made a clear pattern, like a clock. It got louder as it got closer. Then, when it was at its loudest, I saw something further down the room. Light purple, about as big as me, and moving. They were hunched over a bit, and their arms dangled limp at their sides, but I still recognized them a mile away.

 

“Lily!” I found a store of energy I didn’t know I had, pace picking up even more. I thought for sure she’d be running, but I was glad to be wrong. As I got closer, I noticed that she was absolutely covered in grey dust. It wasn’t like her to not try getting it off as soon as possible, especially with a body of water to rinse of in right there. She must’ve thought her little mission was more important, or just didn’t notice. I made a point of not mentioning it, or my theory as to what it was.

 

“Oh Lil, you had Toriel and me in a right panic. What’re you thinkin’, running off like that? I swear, you’re supposed to be the smart sibling, remember?” Soon as she was in arm’s reach, I put a hand around her wrist. She stopped walking, but didn’t turn around to face me. “Now come on, we’ll talk when we aren’t in danger of being caught by the Royal Guards. There were some on my heels back in Snowdin, so we don’t have long before they cut off our route back to…”

 

“Halt!” The ground under me shook, each shift coming in the pattern of footsteps. At the other end of the hall just passed a running waterfall, a monster lumbered out of the tunnel. It was a big one alright, out sizing even that Titan fella. It reminded me of a mole, on the stout side, walking on all fours in the tunnel that was barely big enough to hold him.

 

The main difference was his skin, stone from top to bottom. Little, black eyes stared out from under thick, craggy eyebrows. His throat rumbled as he spoke, shaking the golden amulet around his neck, a pattern a lot like the rune on Toriel’s robe engraved on its surface.

 

“As per our King’s decree, humanity has lost all welcome here. Submit at once, surrender your Souls, lest we be forced to…” His warning ended when Lil broke into a sprint. My grip on her wasn’t nearly strong enough, slipping off like a buttered up handcuff.

 

The mole lifted a foot, at least the size of a car, and brought it down atop her. The earth cracked under his mass, sinking him down to the ankle, but Lily had stepped out of the way well before impact. She closed the distance between her and his arm before he could pull it free and, using one of her fancy spins, landed a kick.

 

I expected her foot to bounce off, leaving maybe a little scratch, but overall doing more to her than him. What I got was her foot cleaving clean through him, splitting the whole arm off. His eyes widened as his body came tumbling down, not ready for the sudden change in weight. He came crashing down, displacing the ground beneath him.

 

“This power… How could a single child…?” His voice was strained, the unwavering pillar crumbling to gravel. His skin twitched and, from the cut on his leg, started to run off him like a coat of water. “My King, I am sorry. The wall of Waterfall has failed you.” His eyes drifted closed, and his body fell apart, leaving behind only a crater full of grey dust.

 

I backed away slowly, looking between the dust and Lily. That stuff was dead monsters? And there was so much of it in town. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to tell who made it, but a part of me refused to believe it.

 

I felt the blood in me run cold when Lily chuckled. Only, it wasn’t her chuckling. It wasn’t that warm, caring, if strict voice that I loved. This one was scratchy, cruel. In a way, evil itself compacted into one tone. She slowly, methodically, turned around to look me in the eye. The illusion I forced onto myself didn’t hold much longer, shattering under her scarlet stare.

 

“Howdy! You got here just in time, I was starting to get bored!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, look who's here! Well, the last time one of you showed up, you went down laughably easy. Turn around and get ready for the boot...
> 
> "Dude, you know this is this verse's specific version, the one who went all devil in the bad future, right?"
> 
> ... R U N.


	7. Frost Bitten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The cold sets in. The muscles cramp, as frozen as the earth they tread upon. But, perhaps, in that most deep of binds, one might find the greatest of power. The will to stand.

My pulse was going nuts, every instinct I had telling me to run. Telling me I was being stalked by something way out of my league, and that thing was looking me in the eye. But I couldn’t even move, let alone run.

 

Lily’d been around my whole life. Cared about my safety, supported my hobbies, goofed around with me when she had the time. Really, she was the best sister a guy like me could ask for, even if she got on me about my manners and such a little too often.

 

The thing staring at me now was as far from that person I loved as physically possible. Its posture was crooked, hunched over, arms limp, like dead weight. Its long, black hair was dangling around its head without a care, strands frizzing out every which way. Its grin was beastly, a predator on the prowl, and those eyes, red as the fires of death, seemed to see everything. That once immaculate, violet tutu was defiled, almost stained completely grey by the dust from the mole monster. My guts churned at the thought.

 

“Lily, what’s… What’re you…?” It laughed at my daze, almost hysterical about my ever growing confusion and fear.

 

“Sorry, kid, but Lily isn’t up for talking right now. Please leave a message after the wet cutting sound.” If I hadn’t been an outdoorsy type, I wouldn’t’ve seen it coming. Its muscles tightened, body tensing up like a spring, and when the pressure got let loose, it sprung with one pointed shoe aimed my way. I jumped out to the side, coming within an inch of getting a slash across my face. It went back to its relaxed stance, giving me time to back out more the way I came, not stopping until we were twice as far away from each other as before.

 

“Who or what are you?”

 

“Wait, _what_ am I? Come on, I’m just as human as you are!” It actually stopped at that, expression getting real thoughtful at its own reply. “Well, thinking about it, that might not be true, depending on who you ask. I’ve heard more than a few of these monsters call me some sort of force, like a hurricane, but that last one went out thinking I was human enough. Tell you what, call me whatever you want. The scariest reapers are the ones you make yourself!” The tide in me turned, heating up as it dodged the point, but it was a slow boil.

 

“You know exactly what I mean. You… You snatched her body!” Its smile thinned out, getting smug, before throwing a hand over its head like some sort of diva.

 

“Oh my, to have such horrid accusations told to my face! Whatever will I do?” A few more laughs. “How about start with the truth? I didn’t ‘snatch’ anything. She handed the controls over herself.” The carpet was tugged out from under me, brain flip flopping, trying to understand.

 

“No, that couldn’t be! She’s got more character than to let something like you…”

 

“Heh, you really think I let her in on all this? No, she was too quick to jump. I couldn’t have told her with the time she gave me before begging, even if I wanted to.” It leaned left, and began to pace. Slowly, it shuffled around me, a shark cornering its prey.

 

“See, I found myself lodged in the back of her head midday yesterday. Heck if I know how, but, you know, gift horses. I got curious, so I decided to try my hand at suggesting something. I started small, made it innocuous, but she followed like a good little puppet. It was all too easy to get her to slice through that training doll.”

 

“I learned her body was dangerous, given the right intent, but I didn’t think I could bend her to do anything worse by her own choice. She wouldn’t even put a scratch on one of those stupid frogs. I was stuck, left to inspire little bits of pointless, empty mischief as long as I was up in her brain.”

 

“But then you opened your big, fat mouth!” Its teeth glistened in the dull light, those canines looking more sharp than I remembered. “As soon as you told her your little idea, her thoughts were spiraling out of control. She thought you would be stubborn enough to go through with it behind her back, and she didn’t know how to block you before it could go down. That’s when I struck.”

 

“To quote myself, “Why not go up to Asgore and give him a piece of your mind? Get him to back off, as it were.”

 

“But that would be just as foolish.” The heat was cranked up at that, this, this… _whatever_ it was, using Lily’s voice. “The path would be long, and overrun by his Guard. They would cut me down before I even got close, not to mention how slim the chance would be of him listening to what I have to say in person.”

 

“Now here’s where my thinking got real good. “So let me do it. I’m more than tough enough to get there, and I could get Asgore to give up killing you and that brother while I’m at it! All you would have to do is hand over the controls and kick back while I do all the work. How’s that sound?” And you know what she said?” My hands shut tight, and I fought to keep my eyes closed. A bad idea in hindsight, but that logical bit of me was drowning in the whirlpool of thoughts and raw feeling.

 

“Trick question! She didn’t say anything. She just shoved the remote into my hands, thinking that I’d follow through on my promises. And you know what? She wasn’t wrong. A killer I may be, which she did, for the record, fight against, for all it was worth, but I’m holding up my end of the deal. This is the way for New Home, where Asgore is, and when I get there, I’ll kill him too! He can’t go after you if he’s a pile of dust, right? Then again…” It stopped, this time standing between me and Snowdin. My escape route was blocked, and its foot was tapping.

 

“I suppose there’s another way to carry out that second part. I only said I wouldn’t let Asgore kill you, and he can’t do that if I already did! Yeah, I like that. Going with plan B!” It tightened up again, and this time, I was almost certain it wouldn’t be stopping at one swing. In the heat of the moment, I fell back on my last resort, hand hovering over the holster at my hip. It might’ve been quick, but was it quicker than a bullet?

 

Suddenly, its eyes bulged open, and the tension in its muscles disappeared. It bended over like someone hit it in the gut, but before I could act on it, the thing started laughing again, rolling with the pain.

 

“Hoo boy, the girl didn’t like that idea! Hold up, it should pass in just a second.” Lily was still fighting? I couldn’t hold it too much longer, a few tears leaking from squinted eyes. With a shaky hand, I grabbed the hilt of my revolver, lifting it up out of its sheath. I tried lining up the sights, but I couldn’t keep my arm from moving it around. With its eyes closed, and smile not on me, I could see what that body used to be. Someone who really cared, and if I pulled the trigger, I’d be wiping out any chance of that person coming back ever again.

 

“Come on, Lil.” My voice quaked like my arm, the aim just as unfocused. “You… you really gonna let this sidewinder drag you through the mud like that? The Lil I know, she’d never stop fighting. She had weak days, sure, but so does everyone. The difference is that you could pick yourself up and go again, and again, and again, even if the burden got to be too much. Please, come back to us.” The tears were flowing thick at that point, blurring my vision. “Come back to me…”

 

“…Sorry, kid, but it’s not happening.” My heart sank like a rock, the last hope I had dashed against the shore. “Sometimes, being tough doesn’t mean jack. You have to be able to carry it out, no regrets. A God is worthless if it just stands there, looking sad, or worse yet, runs away at the first sign of danger. There’s no place in my world for sniveling cowards.”

 

“Yeah, _my_ world. A world where the rules and limitations mean nothing, and I can be whatever I want! And you know what that is? I want the power to stand above everyone else. I want the freedom to do whatever amuses me. I want to grind all of you weaklings to nothing, and prove the truth of it all to each and every person on this planet. No one has real guts anymore, and when I stand on a heap of broken bodies, no one will be able to deny me anymore!”

 

It charged, face lit up by whatever fire drove it. I couldn’t tell whether it was overjoyed or enraged, the grin on its face offset by the hard edge in its eyes. All I knew was that it was coming, and that my eyes were too clouded to shoot it from afar. I could only wait until it was point blank, and hope that it couldn’t dodge.

 

We were in spitting distance when the ground shook again. The moisture drained from my eyes in time to see its tackle get derailed, barely moving out of the way of a golden lance, punching through several feet of solid rock where it once stood. Behind it, striking with the same rage as he once faced me with, was Titan.

 

“If you want to live, you’d better get back behind me, kid!” Standing in the entrance to the room was Gerson, hammer head down in a crater. I didn’t have it in me to question his generosity, just running for cover with everything I had left.

 

“Where you going, Cliff? The party just started!”

 

“Aye.” Over my shoulder, I saw Titan put all his strength behind the shaft of his lance. It bursted straight through the ground, loosening the fake’s footing, before plunging in for another strike. It danced around again, leaving behind no marks to show for the effort, but his point was made clear. “And your first tango should be with the likes of me, not the wee one.”

 

“Alright, let’s dance!” It leaped over Titan’s side swipe, pushing itself forward to counter with a high kick. This time, it was Titan who slipped away, but added his own little touch to it. He grabbed its other leg, turning its momentum against it as it slammed face first into the rock. It grabbed the ground beneath it, pushing itself into a spin, forcing Titan to let go and give it some space.

 

“Don’t waste your time worrying about the big guy.” Gerson put a hand on my shoulder, lightly rubbing the sore muscles. “He’s tough as they come ‘round here. Now, you should pack up and head back to town. Look for the little bar at the far side,Grillby’s, and knock. Just yell that Old Man Gerse sent you, and he’ll put you up with a little something to eat.” To say I was confused would be an understatement, and that’s leaving out the spirit taking Lil over.

 

“I don’t get it, why’re you helping me? You were chasing me like a good bull not fifteen minutes ago.”

 

“That’s just ‘cause I thought it was you who was going round killing everyone. The way you looked like you wanted to hurl back there when Rocky fell would’ve been enough to prove me wrong, but then there’s the dusty kid over there.” He leaned in close, cupping his mouth. “And, just between the two of us, Titan and me don’t really like that human hunting plan anyway. Grill knows better than to question me, so don’t worry about that either. Now get going, we’re out of gab time.”

 

“Grr, is that the best you’ve got!?” The roaring bellow drew me back into the action, a clean cut going up across Titan’s chest plate. Somehow, he wasn’t going up in smoke like the mole, and he was still swinging. That body thief had the sense to keep moving, like it knew that wouldn’t be enough. “If you think a wee paper cut’ll bring down a head of the Royal Guard, you’ve got another thing coming!”

 

His lance came crashing down, one end in each hand, right on top of it. He missed by a hair, but the dent he left in the ground was all I needed to see to know he was capable.

 

“Just as I thought!” It twirled clockwise around him, trying, and failing, to land a kick with each rotation, but was consistently blocked by his lance. “I knew from the first time we locked eyes that you’d be a real challenge! Finally, someone worth my time!”

 

“You’re biting off more’n you can chew, brat.” The distance between it and Titan grew, a swing of the hammer hitting home. I didn’t even see him move, but Gerson had gotten in melee range and pulled off a strike in those few short seconds I wasn’t looking his way. “A growing terror like you shouldn’t forget the second helpings.”

 

The killer landed on its feet, clutching its ribs. It hacked loudly, spitting up a few drops of blood. I would’ve been more surprised if it didn’t after getting hit with that much blunt force. It cleared out its throat, making way for that cursed giggling.

 

“You’ve got a point there. People always say it’s important to finish off your greens, right?” It lunged forward, leaping in time to dodge another hammer swing. It curved its path midair, slipping by a lance thrust. Its momentum carried it behind Titan, where it promptly landed a kick at the back of his left knee.

 

The pillar of strength came tumbling down, eyes shooting open as his support gave way. He dropped to one knee, fighting against the pain to try standing back up, but to no avail. Gerson was moving as quick as he could, but so was their opponent, spinning for another strike. From the way it moved its leg, I gathered that it was going to try going clear through his neck.

 

My mind and body set aside their differences for one simple fact. If I did nothing, a good man who was fighting for his people would die, and no part of me could let that happen. The handle of my revolver was cold, but ready to serve. In one swift motion, it slid from its sheath and took aim. Through the sights, I saw the small space between Titan’s head and his assailant’s foot.

 

The clock was winding down. The next few seconds seemed to play out in slow motion. I pulled the trigger, sending a lead bullet on its way. It spun through the air, building up energy for impact. The closer it got to the fighting, the closer the killer’s leg got to Titan. I breathed deep, the fancy shoe brushing against the fur of his neck.

 

In a moment of clarity, I understood what was about to happen. I didn’t like the idea, but I didn’t have much choice. There were only two ways all of this could end, and which way it went depended on me.

 

My mark jerked away, howling like a beaten wolf. Red slid down its leg, forcing it to hop away on the other. It clutched the limb for dear life, eyes strung with the blood that was becoming more and more scarce in its veins. The loss wasn’t too big, but the chances of another spin kick were low. To top it off, crimson streaks rolling down his armor aside, Titan didn’t have a mark on him.

 

“You… you stupid…!” Its voice was strained, every ounce of attention it could spare on me.

 

“You said it yourself.” My eyes met its, nothing about me giving way. Backing down wasn’t an option anymore. “Being tough is worthless. It’s sticking to your goals, standing against the world, that decides who wins. Well…” I spread my arms out in a loose shrug, inviting its worse.

 

“Here I am.”

 

Its anger washed over me in waves. Gerson, who Titan leaned against to make up for his left leg, took a step back. He felt it, that burning hatred flooding through the Underground. Even he, one of the King’s best warriors, felt threatened by the raw intent it gave off.

 

But I was unfazed, standing with everything I had in the eye of the storm.

 

“How…” Its snarl grew sharper, wounded leg starting to buckle under its weight. Its eyes clenched shut from the pain. “How can you stay so… determined? Sealed in a cage, surrounded by monsters who could turn at any second, your only family all but dead, but you still defy me? How… How…” Its eyelids opened, revealing the red of its eyes had spread, overtaking every other feature. “H O W ?”

 

“It’s simple, really. This might be a cage, but I’m not here alone. And those monsters? Good people in a rough spot. I can’t blame them, or hunt them, like you.” I glanced at Titan, still using Gerson like a crutch, nodding.

 

“You call me the cruel one… I’m not the one who shot my own sister! I guess you don’t love her after…”

 

“SHUT UP.” It flinched, almost falling over trying to back away. “You don’t know her. Lil’s… Lil’s special. She’s not the type to give up on her values, no matter what. She’s got an integrity that puts me to shame. I know her well enough to say that.”

 

“If I’m right, between killing everyone she comes across or dying herself… She’d go with the latter. And I’ll be damned if I let you twist her good hearted try at keeping me safe into a reason to slaughter all these people!” I took a step forward, my decision made.

 

“Kid, what’re you doing!?” Gerson didn’t understand, reaching out for me. Titan just chuckled under his breath.

 

“He’s sticking to his guns, like any strong person would.” He looked around, eyes settling on a dry patch a few feet behind me. “Now set me down over there, ye can’t fight with me on yer shoulder, now can ye?”

 

I smiled, glad to have someone of like mind behind me. A far cry from when he was hunting me down. I didn’t have long to mull it over, the whistling sound of air being cut bringing me back into the fight.

 

I ducked, sliding under a high kick to the temple. It tried swiping low, forcing me to jump from a crouch. Every time I dodged, it seemed to be right into a danger zone, another shot coming before I could catch my breath. It knew that all I needed was a few clicks to take aim, and that would be the end. I needed a way to slow down the assault, even a second would do.

 

And I wasn’t just thinking that for the counterattack. My legs were already worn from the mad haul to get there, and some of the ways I had to bend myself weren’t forgiving on the muscles. At least its legs were in bad shape, too, making it harder to land a lethal blow.

 

At least, that’s what I thought. I forgot one important thing, that it also had arms. I slid to the left, dodging an axe kick, only to get caught with a right hook to the jaw. There was some heavy force behind it, throwing my head back a ways. It didn’t stop there, a left hook to the stomach following up.

 

My ears rung, and my guts convulsed. I was a push from hurling, and my lungs weren’t taking in air so smooth. It only got worse, a sudden, sharp pain hacking across my lower stomach. My body locked, and I felt something warm soaking into my shirt. I looked down, the cloth dyeing a deep scarlet. There was a hole ripped in it, from one side to the other, and I didn’t see much skin in there. All I saw was red.

 

My head throbbed, thinking getting harder and harder. I wobbled from leg to leg, struggling against gravity to stay upright. My feet felt wet, somehow meandering my way into a river. The stream was on the gentle side, but it was enough to push my wounded body along.

 

“Kid!” The voice sounded far off. Someone was coming, but I had no guarantee how quickly. The only figure I could still see was Lil… no, not Lily. It was getting hard to remember. I heard my clock ticking, practically saw the last grains of sand. It wouldn’t be long.

 

“Heh, heh, had me worried. I’ll be honest, you’re a tough zit to pop. But pop you will, and I’ll be free to…” I zoned out, the back of one of my feet hanging over open air. Behind me, there was only darkness. Below me, I saw a waterfall, and a few outcroppings of rocks. They weren’t big, only thick enough to get a handhold on… I smiled, my draining brain coming up with one more idea. I pulled my feet up a little, losing just a bit more of my traction. Finally, the last of the earth holding me gave up, letting me fall over the edge.

 

“Wow, and after all that dribble about courage. Oh well, he was dead either way. Let’s see…” It leaned over the ledge. I’m pretty sure it wanted to see me plummeting into the dark below. See if I would panic, or if I stayed brave in the face of death. Instead, what it saw was the barrel of a pistol, and it heard the crack of thunder.

 

“Doesn’t hurt to have some brains, too.” A drop of red hit my brow. It grabbed the left side of its chest, trying to hold the wound closed. “Bull’s eye.” It backed up, out of my view, but I could still hear it trip up. Some of the water going by had a pink tint, and smelled like copper.

 

Or maybe that last one was just me. My arms were getting heavy, and my finger hold on the rock was starting to slip. A twinge of pain ran down my right, fingers opening on their own. My revolver, its rounds spent, fell away from me. Its job was over. The last I saw of it was a little silver glimmer, falling down into the dark. I guess it was up to the water where its resting place would be.

 

I started coughing, choking on the fluids starting to build up. The pain spread in branches, reaching out through my whole body. My left arm was strained enough as was, holding the rest of me up, and my right was in no condition to go grabbing for another stone. Soon enough, my fingers gave way, and, for an instant, I felt the world rising around me. A sudden pressure wrapped around my wrist, and the world jerked back to normal.

 

“I’ve got you, don’t fret.” Everything was starting to go fuzzy. I could feel my feet land on something solid, and there was an arm holding me up. I could kind of make out the golden coating over it, and the green head atop its body.

 

“Heh… heh… Don’t think you’ve won…”

 

“You’re on the ground, bleeding out, missy. From the sound of it, you’ve got a minute here at most. How do you suppose you can do anything else?”

 

“…Old fool. You should know, this isn’t my body. When it dies, the only person going with it is its old owner. My spirit is eternal, a presence that you will never be without. I don’t care how long it takes, another human will fall. And when they do, I will use them to come back. Fear me, for I am everlasting. I am they who will always return. I A M ( ^ @ % @ ! HAHAHAHAHAHA!”

 

Whatever it called itself, I couldn’t hear. My ears burned when the word passed, but it was gone when their laugh replaced it. That, too, stopped, leaving only silence. The arm around me tightened, and I heard a strangled gasp.

 

“C… Cl-Cliff…” I wrestled against whoever was holding me back, not even caring when something fell off my head, letting hair droop down into my eyes. My gut only told me one thing.

 

“Lil, is… is that you?”

 

“Cliff, I’m so… so sor- ugh- ry. I only… only wanted to…”

 

“Lil, it’s okay, I’m, I’m here. I’m…” The arm holding me lowered, letting me down to the ground. On my right, I felt someone new, about my size. Through the water running over it, I could see a little purple fabric peek out from under the dust. Someone gently took my arm, wrapping it around her.

 

“I… if I just stayed, we…”

 

“Lil, I’m not mad. I’m, not. I promise. I… I found you.” I felt her shaking.

 

“Cliff, I’m so scared. I do not want… I cannot…” I pulled her closer.

 

“Wherever we’re going next, we’re going together.” My throat was getting hoarse, but this was more important. “Don’t care where I end up, long as you’re there, too.” Her shaking softened up, but it was still there.

 

“Okay, I… I trust…” She stopped shivering, and no more words came. Soon, even her breathing settled. When she passed, she was at least calm. I couldn’t stop myself from crying, even though I knew I was going with her.

 

“There anything I can do for you? You deserve to at least be at peace now, after everything you did for us.” Only one thing came to mind.

 

“When we fell down here, we had help getting used to things. Back in those woods near Snowdin, at the other end of the path leading here, there’s a door. Knock on it six times and someone will answer. When she does, please, tell her what happened to us. She’s waiting, but now that we’re… She at least deserves to know.” A hand settled over my shoulder.

 

“You got it kid. Me and Titan’ll get it done.”

 

“Good, good. Thanks. Just hearing that… I think I’m ready.” The tears were thicker, my sight blacking out. “Hold on, Lily, I’m coming…” My body went limp, and my nerves started shutting down. The last thing I saw was a yellow light, a dark blue one just like it holding to it tight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so end the memories of the Mad Dancer. And so begins the unrest in the Fallen Prince.


	8. Springtime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter may be bitter indeed, frost burying all life, but, one day...
> 
> ...Spring always comes again.

I woke up to the sound of my own heartbeat. The pulsing magic flooded my ears, blocking out all sound. I tried to move, but my body was still sluggish from the movement inhibitors. All I could do was lay there and breath until my body caught up with my mind.

 

At least my eyes were working, as I found out too well when the helmet pulled itself off me. The lighting was way too bright, and all I had to block it out with was my eyelids.

 

“Oh! S-sorry, I forgot you would need time to adjust. H-here, I’ll t-turn it-t down.” The room dimmed, easing the burden. When my vision came back to me, I noticed Alphys was trying to quietly blow into a tissue.

 

“Are you okay?” She blushed lightly, but she was too focused elsewhere for anything more.

 

“I… I saw what happened. Asriel, I… I see why it hurt so much now. Dying like that, and then it all hit you at… Oh god, and I put you through…!”

 

“C’mon, Alphys, I literally asked for it. You think I didn’t know it would end up bad?” It was kind of obvious, since these six Souls were only here with me because they were harvested in the first place.

 

In fact, I was surprised by how calm I felt. In the end, the yellow Soul, Cliff, died on his own terms. He accepted it because it was in pursuit of the right thing. I kind of envied him, each and every death I had gone through nowhere near as honorable.

 

“I… I know, it’s just so awful. I mean, dying to someone who looked like family. Chara’s cruelty is just… And now that we know it wasn’t just Frisk, I have to wonder what else they could’ve done. I just…” Alphys stopped pacing, her rambling slowing to a crawl. She sighed. “I just wish we could do something for them, Lily and Cliff, you know?”

 

Deep down, I felt a tug in my makeshift Soul. I recognized it as an echo from someone inside, like they were asking to take over for a while. Looking in, I was surprised to see how much yellow there was. The meaning hit me like a ton of bricks, and I gladly loosened my hold on my body. My consciousness drifted into the back of my mind, where, though aware of everything my body experienced, I was unable to directly control it. It’s a good thing I trusted the person I was switching out with.

 

“Don’t worry too much, miss. What’s done is done, right?” My voice… well, my body’s voice changed, taking on the same sort of tone and drawl he talked with. I had to wonder if it would still happen if my body wasn’t so open to transforming. Alphys was quick to spot the change, wide eyes scanning me.

 

“Um, Asriel, is that…?”

 

“Sorry miss, but I’m not him. I’m in his body, but I’m me. I mean, Cliff. Wait… Okay, this body sharing thing’s a might weird. We’re different minds, but in the same sort of…” He shook his… our? Yeah, I’ll go with that. He shook our head, dislodging that line of thought. “I’m not cut out for this Soul mixing stuff. You get what I mean, right?” We didn’t get an answer, Alphys already at her sensor monitor. She was muttering to herself under her breath, checking and double checking her readings.

 

“Amazing! The Determination streams in your body have changed, the flow reciprocating energy back into the yellow and blue Souls! But how? I’ve been the head of research studying them for years, but this kind of behavior is new…”

 

“Well, if it’ll help any, I think I felt something like this before. It’s a little hazy, but I remember waking up for a bit. It was real dark, and the body I was in was a bit bigger. Still kind of goat like though, and then I heard someone calling for help. I heard something like a big plate breaking, and I went back to sleep. Does that help at all?”

 

“Hmm, that must have been when Asriel shattered the Barrier. Flowey kept your Souls, so just being a part of him couldn’t be what caused it. Was it when our Souls…?” I saw Cliff trying to move an arm, but it was still paralyzed from the VR machine.

 

_‘You might want to tell her about that.’_ He jumped, apparently not expecting to hear me.

 

“Whoa, what’s wrong!? Did something happen!?” Cliff breathed deep, eyes darting around the room.

 

“I just… I heard someone, in my head!”

 

_‘It’s just me, Asriel! I can still talk to you from in here.’_

 

“Wait, you can seriously do that? Is there some sort of manual that comes with this thing?”

 

_‘Not really, I just kind of… figure things out as I go. But seriously, that stiff arm_ _thing isn’t normal.’_

 

“Thought not. I’ll pass the message.”

 

“Are you talking to Asriel?” Frisk was right, talking to someone in your head made it easy to forget the people outside of it.

 

“Oh, yeah, and he said I should bring up that our arm isn’t really working.” Alphys’s brow furrowed, like she was annoyed more than anything.

 

“I thought I worked that kink out… It should pass in an hour, but it shouldn’t be doing that anymore. I’ll have to get Gaster’s help with this, maybe rebalance the anesthetic magic output…”

 

“Uh, excuse me, miss?” Her cheeks flared up again, and this time she was more reactive, sweating profusely.

 

“Sorry, sorry! And, um, just Alphys, if you don’t mind. Did you need something?”

 

“Maybe I should just start with people’s names around here. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something. That old turtle, Gerson, and Titan for that matter, are they still around?” In hindsight, I should’ve warned him sooner, but he strayed into a sensitive topic with that one. Alphys looked off to the side, not willing to meet us eye to eye with the DT experiments on her mind. “Was it something I said?”

 

_‘I’ll fill you in later. Something happened a few years back that she’s… less than_ _proud of, and Titan was part of it.’_

 

“I, uh, didn’t mean to step on toes…”

 

“It’s fine, just, you know, thinking.” She shook it off, forcing a little smile. “Um, they’re both still around, technically, but I’m pretty sure Gerson’s the only one you’d still recognize. Is it okay if I let Asriel tell you about it? I’m still kind of…”

 

“It’s fine. I get it, shame’s not too great a hat.” She let go of the breath she was holding, relieved about not having to dive deep into the subject. “Since I’m stuck here, could you go see if he’s up for some gab? I’m a mite curious what happened after that whole dying thing. Man, hard to think about it, but I’m dead…”

 

_‘If it helps, I think all four of us are. And you have it lucky, I was stuck as a flower_ _for, like, ten years!’_

 

“Wait wait wait, a flower? How does that even happen? Some sort of monster thing, right?”

 

_‘No, more of a_ me _thing. Trust me, it was anything but rosy.’_ Wait, did I just pun?

 

Gosh darn it, Sans.

 

“Um, I think I can do that.” Again, way too easy. Chara and me talked from time to time, but not when we were already talking to someone else. I’d have to see if Frisk had any tips. “You guys are alright on your own, right?”

 

“Well, the bed’s cozy enough, and Lil and me might as well get acquainted with our new host. I think we’ll be good.”

 

“Well alright. I won’t be out too long, or at least I shouldn’t be. If you can move again before I’m back, there are some sodas in that fridge I brought along over there.” She was one foot out the door before she remembered something. “Oh, and Frisk says it’s easier to cope with dying when you don’t think about it too much. Trust me, they would know.”

 

“Oh, well that’s a mighty kind bit of advice. Thank you much, Alphys.” It took until she was out of the room for him to realize. “Wait, what’s she mean by that? They’d know?”

 

_‘Frisk has died literally hundreds of times. See, when someone has enough_ _Determination…’_

 

_‘CLIFF!’_ My ears rang with that scream, the terror conveyed thick and potent. I could feel the Determination near Cliff’s Soul shifting, shaking in place, a volcano on the verge of eruption.

 

“Lily!” My body went limp as we both delved deeper, following her voice. There, in my core, the Determination that flooded throughout and sustained me accommodated our arrival, forms of raw energy solidifying. They were like our physical bodies in all aspects but color, which changed to match our Souls. Cliff’s was a piercing yellow, while my own shifted through a rainbow of shades, matching the disorganized, yet kind of beautiful workings of my reborn body.

 

At the very center, within the ring of seven Souls, where the void was overtaken by a sea of color swirling around itself, two stood out. Concentrated there were lights of dark blue and red. It could only mean one thing.

 

“Cliff, wait!” My advice was ignored completely, his focus completely set on his sister. I couldn’t blame him, standing up for a sibling, but he wasn’t the only one. They came into sight, Lily in blue, Chara in red.

 

The former seemed paralyzed, fighting against her seized muscles to get away from the ‘demon.’ Chara’s stillness was more by choice, but only slightly so. Their eyes were sunken, deep bags highlighting the sockets, and they sagged under their own weight. They caught me coming in the corner of their sight and shied away.

 

They knew exactly what I just saw.

 

Cliff lodged himself between the two, his back to Lily, fists clenched and raised for a hand to hand fight. He seemed certain that Chara was trying something.

 

“Get your paws away from my sister, you no good snake!”

 

“Please, wait!” I got in front of him, trying to cut off his line of sight. “It’s not what you think, just let me explain!”

 

“Explain what, that the toad who went and killed all those folks, who scarred my sister, got us both killed, is suddenly a good guy? Asriel, you strike me like a nice kid, but I can’t just forget all of that junk it put the two of us through.”

 

“I don’t expect you to.” I flew around, not expecting that kind of response from Chara, of all people. They ignored my wide eyed look, focusing on Cliff and Lily. “I messed up. Understatement of the year, I know, but I did, and you two deserve payback. Go ahead, do whatever you want, I won’t fight back.” They spread their arms open and closed their eyes. I think everyone was freaked out at that point.

 

“Hold on a sec pard, what’s your game?”

 

“No game. This is too serious to be a game. I got you killed, so now I’m yours. Just one thing, try not to break my Soul. The red one up there.” Cliff glanced that way, taking note of the murky layer of dust over it. “If it dies, so does Asriel, and I’d be willing to bet that you all would go with him. Just, fair warning.”

 

“Excuse me, Asriel was it?” A shaky hand touched my arm. Behind me, Lily was still shivering, not letting her eyes off of Chara for more than a few seconds at a time, but she was at least able to move. “What does it mean by that?”

 

“Well, like I told Cliff, I’m technically as dead as everyone else here.” I took ahold of a little bit of the yellow DT in the air, molding it into the shape of a large buttercup.

 

“My dust, and the fragments of me that were left, were all stored in a flower. But that person, Flowey, he wasn’t me. He was cruel, uncaring, unable to love. It’s only when I have seven human Souls that I can be me, otherwise I’ll go back to being him.”

 

The memories were still as clear as day. Every person I lied to, manipulated, and, in many cases, killed soon after, before rewinding everything to do it again, and any of the stuff I put Frisk through, it all still hurt. I didn’t want to think about him, let alone be him, any more than I had to.

 

Cliff let his guard down, eyes looking between everyone present, hoping there was an answer. Lily’s hold on me tightened, and I could see that glimmer of pity in her eyes. From what I learned about her through the vision, I could tell it was sincere.

 

“You poor thing, it must have been dreadful!”

 

“Yeah, you could say that.” I crushed the statue in my hands, hoping that, one day soon, I could drop the shadow it cast as easily. “Really, I have all of you to thank. If it weren’t for your Souls, I wouldn’t be here right now. I’d still be hollow, and alone. Heck, Chara came back from death just to help me.”

 

The last of the tension in Cliff faded, leaving him with a much more calm, yet no less serious demeanor. He walked towards Chara, not showing an ounce of hesitation, and jammed a finger into their chest.

 

“Listen here, I’m going to let you go for now, but only because I think Asriel’s a fine person. And I want you to remember one thing.” The finger rose, right between their eyes. “You do something to hurt Lil, or try one of your rampages again, Lord help me, I’ll bust your arms clean off.”

 

Chara gulped, knowing exactly how Cliff was when he set his mind on something. They didn’t back up, though, staying right in his line of fire and nodding.

 

“Right, sounds good.” They turned to Lily, looking to the ground for a second before meeting her eye to eye. “And you, Lily, I hurt you the most. If you have any frustrations or hatred to let off, now’s your chance. Again, I won’t move, and I won’t fight back.”

 

She looked to me, only stepping forward when I nodded. Chara always kept their word. She sized them up, from head to feet, before deciding.

 

She launched into a pirouette from stand still, whipping her leg across their jaw. Her foot landed on the floor, but was up again before long, connecting with a shot to the chest. She followed the flow forward, bringing her opposite knee up between their legs.

 

Chara’s eyes bulged, posture hunching over, and I cringed. I don’t care what gender you are, a hit like that is going to hurt. I was behind them as soon as possible, holding them up in the aftermath.

 

“ _That_ was for Cliff.” I made a note, never cross Lily. If we were going to share a body, a vendetta like hers was one to be avoided. Chara was left wheezing, kept upright only by my support.

 

“Are you okay?” At the sound of my voice, they forced themselves back on two legs. They were shaking, and a little unstable, but Chara refused to topple. They walked a few feet away, lightly pushing my arms away.

 

“How can you still talk to me so normally? You saw what I did, how much I hurt everyone.” Slowly, I stepped forward, like some part of me was certain they’d just jump away again if I was too hasty.

 

“Hey, you know as well as anyone what I’ve done. I’ve twisted minds, slaughtered good monsters, just like you. Neither of us can really call ourselves innocent, can we?” They let out a small huff, with the most minor undertone of a chuckle underneath, but there was no joy.

 

“That’s just it, as far as the timeline will show, the only people you ever did long term damage to are Frisk and Sans. You, technically, haven’t killed anyone. But those monsters I put down? They aren’t getting back up, at least not without being mutated beyond recognition. The humans I used are probably still scarred from what I’ve done.” Their gaze trailed upwards, staring at the ring of Souls above us.

 

“And now I live with a reminder hanging over my head.” They floated up, the incorporeal space allowing full range of movement. One by one, they took a close look at the four still dormant Souls, but never even tried to touch them. “I can only imagine how many of these guys are going to want my head on a pike, and I can’t blame them.” They were so far away with their thoughts, they didn’t hear me close the gap, wrapping my furred fingers around theirs. I let the warmth sink in before I started talking.

 

“Say, Chara, look down for a second, would you?” They weren’t in the mood for arguing, staring down with me at the streams of color, of Determination, all around us. “It’s real colorful and peaceful here, right? Kind of like Dad’s garden.” I saw the corner of their mouth start to lift.

 

“And look at this!” I scooped up a handful of the stream, a bit of red, and fashioned a small heart. A few more drops served as the string, which I happily set around their neck. “Does that remind you of anything?” They laughed a little, holding up the replica of their locket.

 

“Yeah, a gift from a great brother. Why?”

 

“Don’t you get it?” I took an armful of DT, yellow and green, modeling two figures from it. “Sometimes, when monsters look at me, I can tell that they can’t help but think of Flowey. But you see me, Asriel, like when we were both alive.” The first figure came out, a slightly misshaped model of a young boss monster, like it was the sloppy scribble of an eight year old.

 

“When people think about you, they think of what you still see yourself as, a demon Frisk ‘triumphed over.’ But me…” The second didn’t take long, my mind knowing exactly what I wanted, a small human with a bright smile.

 

“I can only see the sibling I loved enough to help with every crazy plan. The one that I gladly put the sweat and time into forging and carving something nice for.” I nudged the human their way, letting it drift in open space. They carefully took hold of it, as though it was the most fragile thing they had ever handled.

 

“No matter what else I see, when I hear your name, I’ll think about those good old days, where we could play without a care in the world. You know why?” Their eyes met mine, opened wide, their own ‘why’ burning bright enough to see. “Because that’s the you I love, and it’s the you that you want to be again. So, when it’s just the two of us, Flowey and the demon? They never existed. Here, it’s just Asriel and Chara, two dumb kids who got in over their heads, I promise.”

 

I almost couldn’t believe it when I saw their eyes starting to water. They never cried, not even on their death bed. I recoiled a bit when they lunged at me, but the surprise wavered when their arms wrapped around me, squeezing just a little too hard.

 

“Thank you, Az, I needed to hear that.” I hugged back, grateful to have the sibling I knew again.

 

“You know…” Cliff drifted by, a small smile on their face. “I still don’t care ‘bout you much, but you're lucky to have a brother like Asriel. Keep that in mind, and I don’t think we’ll have too many problems.”

 

“Hey kiddo, you awake? Heh, and I thought it was old timers like me who needed naps!” The voice echoed, that funny cackle as infectious as I remembered.

 

“That’s Gerson alright. Well, you asked for him, why don’t you go and say hi, Cliff?” He nodded.

 

“Wouldn’t be real polite of me if I didn’t.” He drifted up and out, slipping into the controls. I let my consciousness wander, taking a back seat view of the outside world. Gerson had already settled into the cushiest chair in the room, which was coincidentally right next to our bed.

 

“About time you woke up. You and I both know how Tori gets if you’re late for bed time!” Hey, that wasn’t fair! I haven’t had a strict bed time since I was eight, and he knew it! At least Cliff let that embarrassing comment roll by without notice, more important things in mind.

 

“I’m afraid I don’t know, sir. Then again, I guess I’ve been out for a few years now, so maybe I should learn.” Gerson’s wily old smirk softened, his eyes going somewhat glassy.

 

“Yeah, I should’ve figured. You were bound to come back one of these days, weren’t ya? Heh, you don’t sound half bad for what you’ve been through.”

 

“And thinking with your line of work, you’ve lasted pretty well yourself. I mean, I assume. How long has it been anyway?” The old turtle tapped his fingers together, counting the passing time.

 

“I’d say a good fifteen years. Decade and a half, but you still have that spark in your eye. More than I could say for Asriel, but he’s hanging in there. Where is he, any who?”

 

“He’s in here somewhere. Probably watching us right now, aren’t you?”

 

_‘What? I like knowing what people are doing with my body. Can you really blame_ _me?’_

 

“Hm, fair enough. So is it still your body, or is it more like a shared thing?” Gerson’s cackle brought all eyes back to him.

 

“Hoo boy, that could get hectic when the others decide to wake up. Seven kids tugging at the wheel? Never a good idea, I’ll tell you that. Make sure you get that worked out sooner than later.” I could feel the thought bubbling up, that there would be eight of us when all was said and done, but I knew my body well enough to lock up control of the mouth.

 

_‘No one knows Chara’s in here, and it’s for the best that it stays that way. What_ _do you think people would do if they heard about it?’_ There was no way I’d give up Chara’s Soul. They were turning things around already, not to mention losing them would push me back to being Flowey. No one wanted Flowey to come back, least of all me. He took the message, burying his thought.

 

“Thinking about it, this is still technically Asriel’s body. I don’t think there’d be too much fighting if we just said he got the final say, right?” Gerson scratched his chin, mulling it over.

 

“Yeah, that fits well enough. So, if we’re done talking about this existential stuff, how about we get to what you invited me for?”

 

“That obvious?” The wily grin was back, though not quite at full force.

 

“Kiddo, you and I both know that the doctor’d be better at explaining your whole deal, and last I checked, there’s some personal stuff I know and you want to know. Am I right?” It was unnerving how easily he could read our minds, but it made things a lot faster.

 

“Right on the money. So, what happened to us? I lost track when I faded away. And for that matter, what happened to miss Toriel?” The pang of guilt was almost choking, and it came from more than just him. He and his sister both had baggage when it came to Mom.

 

“If memory serves, and I really hope it does, Titan and I figured the least we could do for the two of you was set up a burial. Both caught up in the crosshairs of an old war that really shouldn’t’ve meant anything to you, not to mention that spirit that drove you both over the edge, you deserved some comfort. The best we could really do for you was give you a grave, away from prying eyes.”

 

“I bashed open a hole behind a nearby waterfall, Titan managed the graves. The only marker we could afford was that tattered, dirty tutu. We left the stretchy parts that actually covered stuff, but I didn’t like the idea of burying you with all that dust that was stuck in the folds. We got it off the rest of the outfit, but I don’t think anything can clean the frilly bit.”

 

It made sense. Monster dust still had echoes of the monster it came from inside. What else would someone dying in pain want than something to latch onto? His expression had sunk, focus split between his hazy eyes and the subtle tapping of fingers on the arms of his chair. Everything else about him was still, as though he was out of energy to power it all.

 

“Now we thought about getting your Souls out of harm’s way, maybe give them back to someone who would actually appreciate them, but the other guards caught up with us as soon as we sealed up your tomb. They saw that we had human Souls, and that was the end of that. You two were carted off to New Home, waiting for the last three we were set to collect.” He picked up a little, but it only lasted the length of a sentence.

 

“Though, in hindsight, things turned out okay specifically because your Souls were there. At my age, you learn to take the silver lining if you can find it.” Silence reigned supreme for a while, a sudden depression weighing down on the whole room. It took a good bit of time for Cliff to work up the nerve to keep going.

 

“And, Toriel?” Gerson sighed.

 

“I was right nervous, looking at that door. It was a reminder of old days, of when things were better, and how things turned South so fast for monsters. It didn’t exactly help that we were there to break bad news. I worked down the knot in my throat first, knocking six times, just like you said.”

 

“I didn’t know who it would be. I knew that she was a she, thanks to your mention, and we put together that she didn’t respect the royal circle since she sheltered humans. You can just about imagine the surprise when it was Toriel’s head that poked through that door. At that point, no one had seen head nor tail of the Queen for the better part of five years.” The gears came to a grinding halt, the mention of that title catching him off guard.

 

“Wait, Queen!? Toriel’s a queen?” The outburst was infectious, Gerson getting in a hardy laugh.

 

“What, she didn’t tell ya? Yeah, she packed up her things and left New Home after Asgore went and flew off the handle, but we old folks still had respect for her. She’s actually back in charge of things, now that we’re all out and about. Figured we should bury that hatchet ‘fore any of today’s humans got it in their heads that we were an enemy. Wink, wink.” The incredibly unsubtle hint was lost on Cliff, who was still trying to wrap his head around Mom’s position. Come to think of it, did he know…? Gerson patted us on the head.

 

“You know, that means you and your sister their are part prince. We’ve been trying to close the gap between the two species, human ambassador and royalty bundled in one and all, but you kids are taking it to a whole new level. Too bad we can’t say it out loud.” That hint, though, was too easy to miss.

 

“Asriel, Toriel’s your mom!?”

 

_‘Well, we are both goats. I thought you would’ve figured it out.’_

 

“Shoot, I didn’t know how many there were! For all I knew, you were just a random monster with real rancid luck. Hey Lil, you hear that? You’re royal! Heh, imagine the looks on those judges faces if they knew where you were now.” Whatever she imagined must have been good, the giggles coming in loud and clear despite her attempt to muffle her thoughts.

 

“You keep talking to yourselves like that, I might just start feeling left out.” We could all tell he didn’t really mind. It was just Gerson being himself. “Speaking of, I think my next stop should be Tori’s place. She should be over the moon to see you two back. She sounded so broken up when I gave her the news. I could see the years getting heavier in her eyes with each of you that passed through.” His eyes sparked for a second, an idea flaring up.

 

“Say, you have those other four in there somewhere, right? Do you think they could get a wake up call, too? It’d take a lot off of Toriel, and Asgore for that matter. Plus, well, I wouldn’t mind squaring away a few things I owe them.” I wasn’t entirely sure. Like I said, I didn’t know too much about how Souls worked. I was about to say that we should ask Alphys when the door flew open.

 

“I, I think so!” She rushed along, steps unbalanced, with a huge bundle of folders and files filling up her arms. They spilled all over the nearest table, her arms rushing to grab at the white sheets blown out of the pile. “Um, if my theory is right, it was Asriel reaching out to their Souls that woke Cliff and Lily up. Sorry if I’m talking like you’re not here, but it’s hard to tell who’s in control at any given time.”

 

“Anyway, going over the visual records Frisk gave of the event, and the added mention Cliff made about waking up just as the Barrier shattered, I concluded that Asriel calling for their help in that task temporarily restarted the Souls, like taking a defibrillator to the heart. When the flow of Determination was cut off, they went back into hibernation.”

 

“Now, through the use of the VR machine, I inadvertently forced open the channels between Asriel’s core and Cliff’s Soul, whose connection to Lily’s Soul also created a path. If I can systematically do the same for the other four, it could, in theory, wake them up the same way!”

 

That was… incredible! If she was right, I could give them all a chance at seeing the world that they lost. It was Chara and me that set off the chain anyway. If we hadn’t tried to go through with their buttercup plan, Dad wouldn’t have been forced to restart the fighting, and they would have been welcomed with open arms, just like Chara. In a way, I owed them this much.

 

I tapped Cliff’s mind, sending a signal that said I wanted back in. The feel of my skin slipped over me like a glove, muscles tensing and popping as my influence spread back through.

 

“It’s me again, Asriel. So Alphys, when do you think we could go through with that?” She pushed the glasses back up her knows, a glare blocking out my view of her eyes.

 

“Technically, you’re set up for it now, we could do it at any time. But you should know, you would have to go through the same process as with Cliff and Lily. You’ll see all of their last few days, including their deaths. You’ll have to live through them again and again. S-so, I know you want to go through with it, but maybe you should take a break or some…”

 

“I can do it now.” She stopped in her tracks, gawking at me in surprise. For once, I couldn’t read Gerson’s expression. “You have to remember, I’m not like most people. I’ve died a lot over the last few years. Four more would just be a drop in the bucket, right?”

 

Actually, if I’m being honest, the idea of dying was still terrifying. Once, it was the thought of never existing again that scared me most. Now, though, it was the pain. No matter what happened to the timeline to bring me back, my intact memories forced me to remember each and every one. I could still feel the cold sting of a knife deep down, even if it was only an echo. Another death would only bring those wounds back to the forefront. The only reason I wasn’t writhing from the pain now was how calmly Cliff took his fall, soothing the sensation enough to ignore.

 

Gerson’s firm face fell apart, parting in the wake of another of his cackles.

 

“Well, that’s a kid for ya! You young’ns can take a hundred dings and just keep ticking! Ah, to be a spry little man again.” He felt the need to floof up the hair on my head, like everyone did these days. “You heard him, missy, run the machine again. That’s a royal decree, you know!”

 

“I wouldn’t go that far…”

 

“Alright, alright.” Alphys’s fingers flew across her keyboard, caving in to my request. “I see I’m not going to stop you from trying, and it is a good cause after all.” She turned her head our way ever so slightly, peering at Gerson. “But if Toriel comes in here angry about how long it’s taking, you get to explain it.” He, what else, just laughed.

 

“Yeah yeah, fair enough. Don’t get your lab coat in a twist, we need you to work that thing. No way I could do it.”

 

“Okay Asriel, are you sure you’re ready? Once the helmet goes on, you’ll be stuck in another memory. Are you sure you don’t need to take care of anything first?” I nodded, nothing striking me as an immediate concern.

 

“Good to go.”

 

“Well, okay.” The machinery above me came to life again. Gears turned, bulbs lit up, and power flooded through its wires. The light of the room was slowly eaten away, the mask sliding back over my face. A pair of tubes slid into my nostrils, and the whole case locked shut. I could feel the magic pouring in through my nose, my body slowing down as I slipped back into a false sleep. “Here we go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, there's the first batch of Souls accounted for. I'm already at work with the second, and I think you guys are going to like them. I see orange and light blue...

**Author's Note:**

> According to the good Sir Isaac Newton, every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Game On is a lighter story, more happy in tone. Ergo, I must act to retain balance. I will not apologize. You signed for these feels when you cast your eyes towards me. The Piper will be paid.


End file.
